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Bernice Johnson Reagon

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Bernice Johnson Reagon (October 4, 1942 – July 16, 2024) was an American song leader, composer, professor of American history, curator at the Smithsonian, and social activist. In the early 1960s, she was a founding member of the Freedom Singers, organized by the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in the Albany Movement for civil rights in Georgia.[1][2] In 1973, she founded the all-black female a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock, based in Washington, D.C.[3] Reagon, along with other members of the SNCC Freedom Singers, realized the power of collective singing to unify the disparate groups who began to work together in the 1964 Freedom Summer protests in the South.[4]

Bernice Johnson Reagon
Background information
Birth nameBernice Johnson
Born(1942-10-04)October 4, 1942
Dougherty County, Georgia, U.S.
DiedJuly 16, 2024(2024-07-16) (aged 81)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
GenresA cappella
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • scholar
InstrumentVocals
Years active1966–2024
Formerly of
Websitebernicejohnsonreagon.com/

"After a song", Reagon recalled, "the differences between us were not so great. Somehow, making a song required an expression of that which was common to us all.... This music was like an instrument, like holding a tool in your hand."[5]

The Albany Singing Movement became a vital catalyst for change through music in the early 1960s protests of the Civil Rights era.[5][6] Reagon devoted her life to social justice through music via recordings, activism, community singing, and scholarship.[7][8][9][10]

She earned her Ph.D. from Howard University, becoming a cultural historian, centered on the role of music. She was professor emerita in the Department of History at The American University.[11] She had also been a scholar-in-residence at Stanford[12] and received an honorary doctorate of music from Berklee College of Music.[13]

Early life and education

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Bernice Johnson was born in 1942 in Dougherty County, Georgia, United States.[14] She was the daughter of Beatrice and J.J. Johnson, a Baptist minister. She was born and raised in southwest Georgia, where church and school were an integrated part of her life, with music heavily intertwined in both of those settings. Reagon began school at the age of three when she was asked by her teacher to attend early, and she passed that first year. By the time she was in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade, she was requested to tutor students in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, and she said it was because there had only been one teacher.[15]

In 1959, she entered Albany State College (since July 1996 called Albany State University), where she began her study of music. She also became active in the local NAACP chapter and then the SNCC. After being expelled from Albany State because of an arrest as an activist, she briefly attended Spelman College.

Later, she returned to Spelman to complete her undergraduate degree in 1970. She received a Ford Foundation fellowship to do graduate study at Howard University, where she was awarded the Ph.D. degree in 1975.[16]

Career

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Activism

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Reagon's first demonstration had been in protest against the arrest of Bertha Gober, and Blanton Hall, organized by SNCC along with the initial arrest of the two individuals, for they planned to be arrested in a discussion during a SNCC meeting.[15] Reagon was an active participant in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. She was a member of The Freedom Singers, organized by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), for which she also served as a field secretary. Reagon explains her first encounter with SNCC as a confusion, for she did not understand the name, or its organization, but she claims that she understood that they were for freedom and full-time.[15] The Freedom Singers were organized by Cordell Reagon in 1962. The group was the first of the civil rights singers to travel nationally. The singers realized that singing helped provide an outlet and unifier for protestors struggling with mob behavior and police brutality. Thanks to her roles with SNCC and the Freedom Singers, Reagon became a highly respected song leader during the Civil Rights Movement.[citation needed]

Activist James Forman later said: "I remember seeing you lift your beautiful black head, stand squarely on your feet, your lips trembling as the melodious words 'Over my head, I see freedom in the air' came forth with an urgency and a pain that brought out a sense of intense renewal and commitment of liberation. And when the call came to protest the jailings, you were up front. You led the line. Your feet hit the dirty pavement with a sureness of direction. You walked proudly onward singing 'this little light of mine, 'and the people echoed, 'shine, shine, shine.'"[7][17]

Academic

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In 1974, Reagon was appointed as a cultural historian in music history at the Smithsonian Institution, where she directed a program called Black American Culture in 1976,[18] and was later a curator of music history for the National Museum of American History. Ida Jones from the Smithsonian Institution had stated, "Dr. Reagon collected photographs, sheet music, and other primary and secondary sources chronicling the development of African American sacred music tradition from its birth during the period of slavery through the creation of concert spiritual, gospel music, jazz, and the performance of protest song in the century following Emancipation," with relation to Reagon's initial job at the museum.[18]

In 1989, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship which helped her to complete the major project, Wade in the Water: African American Sacred Music Traditions (1994).[19] After Reagon retired from singing with Sweet Honey in the Rock in 1993, she continued to work at the Smithsonian in African American Songs of Protest as a Curator Emerita.[20]

She also held an appointment as Distinguished Professor of history at American University (AU) in Washington DC from 1993 to 2003. Reagon was later named professor emerita of history at AU, and held the title of Curator Emerita at the Smithsonian.[21]

Music

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External videos
  "Eyes on the Prize; Interview with Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon" conducted in 1986 for the Eyes on the Prize documentary.

Reagon grew up in a church without a piano, so her early music was a cappella, and her first instruments were her hands and feet, and she explained, "that's the only way I can deal comfortably with creating music." When Reagon spoke about her upbringing in the musical culture, she explained that even her early schooling was heavily involved with music, not just the church. Reagon said that her teacher would lead the students outside to play games that entailed singing with their hands and feet, as well as their voices. There were also competitions among the students, and Reagon won first place as a child when running against the older students reciting Langston Hughes' poem "I've Known Rivers".[15]

Reagon was a specialist in African-American oral history, performance and protest traditions. She served as music consultant, producer, composer, and performer on several award-winning film projects, notably PBS television productions such as Eyes on the Prize (1987) (in which she also appeared) and Ken Burns' The Civil War (1990). Reagon was also featured in a film, We Shall Overcome, which was about the song and its placement in the movement, being produced by Ginger Records and made by Henry Hampton, the creator of Eyes on The Prize.[22] She was the conceptual producer and narrator of the Peabody Award-winning radio series, Wade in the Water, African American Sacred Music Traditions.[23] Reagon claimed: "These days, I come as a 'songtalker', one who balances talk and song in the creation of a live performance conversation with those who gather within the sound of my voice."[24]

Reagon joined her first and only gospel choir when she was 11 years old, which was organized by her sister at the Mt. Early Baptist Church. She and the choir would listen to the local radio station WGPC to learn black gospel for the choir to recite. As a child, the Five Blind Guys was her favorite quartet. Reagon stated that her role models in terms of music are Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and Bessie Jones, because they assisted her understanding of traditional singing and the fight for justice. Reagon also saw as important to her work Deacon Reardon, a historian studying African-American sacred worship traditions, and she stated that he impacted both her spiritual and musical development.[25]

Reagon's work as a scholar and composer was reflected in her publications on African-American culture and history, including: a collection of essays entitled If You Don't Go, Don't Hinder Me: The African American Sacred Song Tradition (University of Nebraska Press, 2001); We Who Believe In Freedom: Sweet Honey In The Rock: Still on the Journey (Anchor Books, 1993); and We'll Understand It Better By And By: Pioneering African American Gospel Composers (Smithsonian Press, 1992).

Reagon recorded several albums on Folkways Records, including Folk Songs: The South, Wade in the Water, and Lest We Forget, Vol. 3: Sing for Freedom.[26]

In 1973, Reagon founded a six-member, all-female a cappella group called Sweet Honey in the Rock. In addition to Reagon, the women in the original group were: Ysaye Maria Barnwell, Nitanju Bolade Casle, Shirley Childress Johnson, Aisha Kahil, and Carol Maillard. The only instrument they used was their voices, along with shekere and tambourine. They have toured internationally, including to Europe, Japan, Mexico, and Australia. The group's fan base is of different ethnic backgrounds, religions, and sexual orientations. Reagon's musical roots came from the rural South Baptist Church. She advocated "music's informational and transformative power to ask" and the strong effects that music has had on the Civil Rights Movement.[citation needed]

Personal life and death

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In 1963, Reagon married Cordell Reagon, another member of The Freedom Singers. Before divorcing in 1967, two children were born to this union: a daughter, (Toshi), and a son, (Kwan). Toshi Reagon is also a singer-songwriter. Kwan Reagon is a chef.[27]

In 2003, upon receiving the prestigious Heinz Award, Reagon spoke in her acceptance speech of the decision she and her long-time partner, Adisa Douglas, made that their "different and related work and struggle would move better were we joined in life partnership--and so it has been--joined and better."[28][29] The two women remained together as life partners up until Reagon's death in 2024.

Reagon died in Washington, D.C. on July 16, 2024, at the age of 81.[30] Her death was confirmed by her daughter, Toshi Reagon,[31] and by Courtland Cox, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee's Legacy Project.[30]

Honors and awards

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  • In 1970, a Ford Foundation fellowship at Howard University resulting in a Ph.D in American history in 1975.
  • In 1989, named a MacArthur Fellow and received their "Genius Grant."
  • In 1991, the Candace Award from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women.[32]
  • In 1994, a Peabody Award for a 26-part NPR documentary called Wade in the Water.[33]
  • In 1995, a Charles Frankel Prize for her contributions to the public understanding of the humanities. The award was presented at the White House by President Bill Clinton.
  • In 1996, the Isadora Duncan Award for the score of Rock, a ballet directed by Alonzo King.[34]
  • In 2000, the First National Leeway Laurel Award at the Leeway Foundation in Philadelphia.[35]
  • In 2003, the 9th Annual Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities.[36]
  • In 2006 awarded the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, by Gallaudet University for her sustained efforts for the inclusion of deaf people.[37]
  • In 2009, an honorary doctoral degree from the Berklee College of Music.[38]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Freedom Singers". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  2. ^ "Albany Movement". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  3. ^ "Message from the Founder − Sweet Honey in the Rock®". Sweet Honey in the Rock. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2017. First public appearance of Sweet Honey In The Rock at Howard University's W.C. Handy Blues Festival. The group is Bernice Johnson Reagon, Carol Maillard, Louise Robinson, and Mie.
  4. ^ Hayes, Eileen M. (October 1, 2010). Songs in Black and Lavender: Race, Sexual Politics, and Women's Music. University of Illinois Press. p. 66. ISBN 9780252091490.
  5. ^ a b Giddings, Paula J. (October 6, 2009). When and Where I Enter: The Impact of Black Women on Race and Sex in America. Harper Collins. p. 279. ISBN 9780061984921.
  6. ^ Harris, Norman (1988). Connecting Times: The Sixties in Afro-American Fiction. Jackson and London: Univ. Press of Mississippi. pp. 136–7. ISBN 9781617033704. albany singing movement paula giddings.
  7. ^ a b "Bernice Johnson Reagon: Civil Rights song leader". Smithsonian Folkways. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  8. ^ "Bernice Johnson Reagon: Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  9. ^ "Bernice Johnson Reagon". Americans Who Tell The Truth. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  10. ^ Reagon, Bernice Johnson (2001). "If You Don't Go, Don't Hinder Me". University of Nebraska Press. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  11. ^ "Emeritus Faculty with the History Department at American University". www.american.edu. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  12. ^ "Bernice Johnson Reagon in residence". Stanford University. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  13. ^ "Bernice Johnson Reagon on Freedom Fighting". Berklee College of Music. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  14. ^ "Bernice Johnson Reagon, US civil rights activist and singer, dies aged 81". The Guardian. July 18, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c d "Interview with Bernice Johnson Reagon". Eyes on The Prize Interviews. Interviewed by Chris Lee. Blackside Inc. 1900. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  16. ^ Georgia Humanities Council. "Bernice Johnson Reagon". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  17. ^ "Bernice Johnson Reagon on 'This Little Light of Mine'". BillMoyers.com. May 3, 2013. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  18. ^ a b Ida, Jones. "Guide to the Bernice Johnson Reagon Collection of the African American Sacred Music Tradition, circa 1822–1994". Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  19. ^ MacArthur Foundation. "Bernice Johnson Reagon, Class of 1989". MacArthur Foundation. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  20. ^ Shay Dawson. "Bernice Johnson Reagon (1942-2024)". National Women's History Museum. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  21. ^ American University. "Emeriti Faculty". American University. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  22. ^ American Experience. "Music in the Civil Rights Movement". OPB.org. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  23. ^ Peabody: Stories that Matter. "Wade in the Water: African-American Sacred Music Traditions". Peabody Awards. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  24. ^ Reagon, Bernice Johnson. "Bernice Reagon". Facebook. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  25. ^ Reagon, Bernice Johnson. If You Don't Go, Don't Hinder Me: The African American Sacred Song Tradition. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. pp. 100–140. ISBN 1-280-51030-7. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  26. ^ The Smithsonian Folkways Records. "Bernice Reagon: Folk Songs". Smithsonian. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  27. ^ Gabriel, Trip (July 19, 2024). "Bernice Johnson Reagon, a Musical Voice for Civil Rights, Is Dead at 81". The New York Times. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  28. ^ Bernice Johnson Reagon (November 30, 2014). "Upon Receiving the Heinz Award March 2003". Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  29. ^ The Heinz Foundation. "Bernice Johnson Reagon, Heinz Awardee Speech, 2003 Awards Presentation, Folger Theater (Video)". Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  30. ^ a b Gyimah-Brempong, Adwoa (July 17, 2024). "Bernice Johnson Reagon, a founder of The Freedom Singers and Sweet Honey in the Rock, has died". NPR. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  31. ^ Smith, Harrison (July 18, 2024). "Bernice Johnson Reagon, singer and civil rights activist, dies at 81". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  32. ^ "Chronicle". The New York Times. June 26, 1991.
  33. ^ Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong (July 18, 2024). "Bernice Johnson Reagon, a founder of The Freedom Singers and Sweet Honey in the Rock, has died". WRTI.org. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  34. ^ Michael Kernan. "Conveying History Through Song: Bernice Johnson Reagon adds cultural nuance and period flavor to rousing a cappella renditions". The Smithsonian. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  35. ^ Philantropy News Digest. "Leeway Foundation". Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  36. ^ The Heinz Awards, Bernice Johnson Reagon profile Archived October 20, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Heinzawards.net. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
  37. ^ Robert Weinstock (July 25, 2024). "Bernice Johnson Reagon, civil rights activist and founder of Sweet Honey in the Rock, dies". Gallaudet University. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  38. ^ "Honorary Degree Recipients". Berklee College of Music. Retrieved July 18, 2024.

Further reading

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  • Buffalo, Audreen. "Sweet Honey: A Cappella Activists". Ms 03 1993: 24. ProQuest. Web. May 17, 2014.
  • Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon 1999 Folk Alliance International Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient. Performer, Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon. Folk Alliance International, September 2, 2011. Web. May 12, 2014.
  • Reagon, Bernice J. "Bernice Johnson Reagon". Music: Freedom Singers. Songtalk Publishing. Web. May 13, 2014.
  • "Bernice Johnson Reagon." Smithsonian Folkways. Smithsonian Institution, n.d. Web. May 16, 2014.
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