Marian Anderson

I honestly could not stop reading this well-written article by Alisha Jones titled “Lift Every Voice..”. Jones captivated my attention with her so very overlooked, but very necessary, claim in thesis when she states that black women have forced their voices to be heard through the “politics of concert performances”. I am included in the naitive population that does not often consider the platform of these black female musicians or the influences that they have over the community by using it. I use the term community in a multivariable context, describing both the individuals who make up the groups of oppressed women and African Americans. Jones highlights this intersectionality when she touches on the background of black musicians and their treatment in a Eurocentric music industry. She gives the example of Marian Anderson being denied concert space at the Lincoln Memorial to raise attention to the fact that organizations and institutions such as the NAACP, NANM, black churches, Howard University, black women’s groups, etc, unified to make it possible for Anderson to perform before an audience of more than 75,000 people. I agree with Jones’ proposal to increase the attention we give to black female musicians because it is through these songs that they express the oppression and suffrage that has kept them silenced for too long. It is with continuous attention that these musicians get closer to equality; that their talent is seen instead of their race. It was Anderon’s tribute to Florence Price at the end of the concert’s program that highlighted the meaning of sisterhood and  made grateful to be at an institution the thrives off of this exact principle.Not only are your sisters beneficial for growth but they are vital to survival when the rest of the world is already against us. If I took nothing else from this article, I took away the need for strength in the black community but an even greater strength in sisterhood.