During one of our class discussions, we described black music to be music that gives hope to Black America, during whatever trials we are facing. In some sense, our music is our sign of resilience. The study of African-American music is essentially the complete study of our history, where each genre will give a better understanding of the climate of black people during that era.
Beginning with Negro Spirituals, where each song shed light on a more hopeful situation, whether it was means for escape, or hope for the promise land. Our music was a form of rebellion against the oppression we were faced with. Another example would be the Fisk Jubilee Singers, who used the money they received to help fund Fisk University, an HBCU that was formed to overcome educational oppression of black people. Our music makes a difference because our music shows our strength and where we came from.
