Today is the 43rd anniversary of the Watts riots, a large-scale race riot which lasted six days in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in August 1965. The riots inspired the Wattstax concert, which was held at the Los Angeles Coliseum on August 20, 1972 and organized by Memphis's Stax Records to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Watts riots. The Reverend Jesse Jackson gave the invocation, which included his "I Am - Somebody" poem, which was recited in a call and response with the assembled stadium crowd of over 100,000 attendees. Performers at the concert included The Staple Singers, The Emotions, Rufus Thomas, and the late Isaac Hayes.
