The Black
and Brown Trading Stamp Corporation was founded by former Oakland
Raider receiver Art Powell and featured images of superstar James Brown.
The stamps on this page were issued by merchants in Downtown Oakland
during the late-1960's and represent an attempt on the part of businesses
in the black community to provide incentives to local patrons.
While it is unlikely that anyone
ever actually made a down payment on a new sportscar or purchased a home
with the booklets (which were redeemable for $3 each), this collection attests
to one aspect of revolutionary politics that is as true today as it ever
was: Black Power depends upon economic power.
The following is quoted from
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame homepage: "By the late Sixties,
Brown had attained the status of a musical and cultural revolutionary,
owing to his message of black pride and self-sufficiency. In the late
Sixties and early Seventies, such message songs as 'Say It Loud - I'm
Black and I'm Proud' reverberated throughout the black community, within
which he was regarded as a leader and role model."
Beatlit's Black-and-Brown Trading Stamps
may now be viewed at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, 200 MLK, Jr.
Blvd, Macon, GA
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