Chocolate City Speech - History of The Phrase

History of The Phrase

In African American culture, the term chocolate city refers to a positive, harmonious image of a city with a predominantly African American population and/or African American political leadership. The concept originated with radio DJs in Washington D.C. in the early 1970s and was popularized by the band Parliament, who released the album Chocolate City in 1975. The term has been widely used, including by prominent scholar Cornel West in his 1993 book Race Matters and by comedian Chris Rock.

In an interview with Public Radio International's Tavis Smiley (originally broadcast on January 13, 2006) Nagin used the phrase "chocolate city" in reference to New Orleans' future demographics, a term that would become troublesome for him just a few days later.

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