On Insight today, Bhakti Larry Hough interviews H. Beecher Hicks III, president and CEO of the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville
, in observance of National African Music Appreciation Month (Black Music Month). Insight airs on Wednesdays at 10 a.m., 7 p.m. and midnight.
From President Barack Obama's 2014 Black Music Month proclamation:
"For centuries, African-American music has lifted the voices of those whose poetry is born from struggle. As generations of slaves toiled in the most brutal of conditions, they joined their voices in faithful chords that both captured the depths of their sorrow and wove visions of a brighter day. At a time when dance floors were divided, rhythm and blues and rock and roll helped bring us together. And as activists marched for their civil rights, they faced hatred with song. Theirs was a movement with a soundtrack -- spirituals that fed their souls and protest songs that sharpened their desire to right the great wrongs of their time."
The influence of African-American artists resounds each day through symphony halls, church sanctuaries, music studios, and vast arenas. It fills us with inspiration and calls us to action. This month, as we honor the history of African-American music, let it continue to give us hope and carry us forward -- as one people and one Nation.
