Conversation so far:
What did Sun Ra start out as?
As a child, Sun Ra was a skilled pianist. By the age of 11 or 12, he was composing and sight reading music.
What was the name of Sun Ra's band?
Sun Ra's band was called the Arkestra.
Did Sun Ra do any collaborations?
What college did Sun Ra go to?
Sun Ra attended Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University.
What did Sun Ra study in college?
Sun Ra was a music education major, studying composition, orchestration, and music theory.
Was there something Sun Ra excelled at more than another?
Did Sun Ra get any recognition?
Sun Ra was often recognized as one of the hardest-working musicians anywhere he went — and surely one of the most original.
What else did Sun Ra do in his early career?
Early in his career, Sun Ra joined a musicians' trade union and toured with Ethan Harper's group through the US Southeast and Midwest.
What did Sun Ra have to do with the South?
In 1934 Blount joined a musicians' trade union and toured with Harper's group through the US Southeast and Midwest.
Was Sun Ra's band disciplined?
They were expected to be disciplined and presentable.
Why did Sun Ra's band have a sense of pride?
Playing for the big bands gave black musicians a sense of pride and togetherness.

Question: Why was this?
Self-contained rewrite: Why did playing for big bands give Sun Ra's band a sense of pride?