Bernice Johnson Reagon: Pioneering Gospel Music Composers; Song Culture of the Civil Rights Movement

Raymond F. West Memorial Lecturer

In March, the Humanities Center and the Institute for Diversity in the Arts welcomed acclaimed historian, composer, musician, and civil rights activist Bernice Johnson Reagon, who electrified audiences as the twenty-ninth Raymond F. West Memorial Lecturer. Reagon's lecture demonstrations presented historical overviews illustrated by original recordings, images, and live performance. The week included a master class with the student a capella group Talisman and an open discussion on "Coalition Politics: Turning the Century." Reagon's many publications and productions include "If You Don't Go, Don't Hinder Me: The African American Sacred Song Tradition" (2001) and "Voices of the Civil Rights Movement:" Black American Freedom Songs 1960-1966" (1997). Reagon's visit was also sponsored by the Research Institute of Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, Stanford Lively Arts, and the Aurora Forum.