Impromptu 'Soul Train Line' In Oakland Honors Late Host Don Cornelius
OAKLAND (KCBS) – More than a hundred people gathered in downtown Oakland on Saturday for an impromptu dance party in honor of the creator of the Soul Train television show, Don Cornelius.
Organizers of the flash mob event at the Henry J. Kaiser Memorial Park called it the West Coast version of the Soul Train Line. Many of the participants showed up dressed in the styles popularized in the 70s and 80s.
KCBS' Mark Seelig Reports:
"We're doing an old fashioned Soul Train Line here," said Dance-A-Vision choreographer Carla Service.
James Moore Jr. helped organize the event and said for too long, his city has had its name and reputation dragged through the mud. This event was all about telling the world Oakland has a fun and brighter side to it.
"I am a man of the 60s, 70s and 80s and we wanted to give honor to Don Cornelius and the Soul Train gang," said Moore. "And we wanted to do something positive."
Service said all the dancing not only puts a smile on your face, but it also helps to release pent-up stress.
"It's something that I think everyone should do. Especially in this day and age because things are not getting better," she said.
Just as Cornelius used to say, it was all "Love, Peace and Soul" for the crowd on hand.
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