LibGuides Blog

Music and the Civil Rights Movement(s)

Throughout American history, African American music has expressed a desire, and at times a demand, for freedom and equality.  Songs known as “spirituals” referenced Biblical stories of slavery and became synonymous with Black aspiration.  Reconstruction-era audiences heard four-part arrangements sung by HBCU singing groups such as the Fisk Jubilee Singers of Fisk University, who demonstrated a high level of artistry and elegance in contrast to minstrel show caricatures.  Later, classically-trained singers and arrangers have promoted spirituals as an art form on the concert stage from Reconstruction to the present.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose wife Coretta Scott King was a classically trained singer, frequently referenced spirituals in his speeches.  Inspired by the Harlem Renaissance, a philosophical and literary movement celebrating Black culture, Black classical composers turned spirituals into art songs and incorporated them into orchestral works.  The Library of Congress' article African American Spirituals has more information.

The Fisk Jubilee Singers were among the first American performers to be recorded.  You can hear their 1909-1911 recordings online via the Alexander Street Press database. (UMU authentication required)

“Lift Every Voice and Sing” is a hymn composed in 1900 to honor Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.  It quickly became known as the Black National Anthem, and was adopted as an official song by the NAACP.  Read the lyrics and watch a video from an NAACP convention:    It is the first song in a modern hymnal for use in Black churches, aptly titled Lift Every Voice and Sing II: An African American Hymnal, available in the Cope Music Library hymnal collection.

In popular music of the 20^th century, artists in many genres, including classical, jazz, soul, top 40, and rap styles, expressed struggles and hopes in every decade. Billie Holiday’s 1959 hit, “Strange Fruit,” was a song about lynching.  In 1964 “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke was a message of hope in the face of disparagement.  For more information, consult these library resources (UMU authentication required for online resources):

Reference Books

• Encyclopedia of African American Music (Main Library/KHIC)
• International Dictionary of Black Composers (eBook)

Books

• Spirituals and the Birth of a Black Entertainment Culture (eBook)
• Blackface Nation: Race, Reform, and Identity in American Popular Music, 1812-1925 (eBook)
• Jim Crow’s Counterculture: The Blues and Black Southerners, 1890-1945 (Main Library/KHIC)
• May We Forever Stand: A History of the Black National Anthem (eBook)
• The Power of Black Music: Interpreting Its History from Africa to the United States (eBook)
• A Sound History: Lawrence Gellert, Black Musical Protest, and White Denial (eBook)
• Keep on Pushing: Black Power Music from Blues to Hip-Hop (eBook)
• Black Lives Matter & Music: Protest, Intervention, Reflection (Main Library/KHIC)

Streaming Videos

• American Experience: The Fisk Jubilee Singers (part 1, part 2, part 3)
• Jazz (Ken Burns PBS series)
• The History of Black Music, Part 1 (Tony Brown Productions)

What's In a Pronoun?

Did you know that in 2019 the word "they" was the Merriam-Webster Word of the Year? In September 2019, Merriam-Webster added they and themself as gender neutral pronouns to its dictionary around the same time that Sam Smith announced their decision to use gender neutral pronouns.

• 15 Celebrities Who Don't Identify as Either Male or Female
• 25 Non-Binary Celebs Who Are Breaking the Gender Mold

The 3rd Wednesday of October is International Pronouns Day. Since 2018, this day has been a grassroots effort to acknowledge and celebrate the value of using and respecting a person's chosen pronouns.

If you use social media, use the hashtag #PronounsDay to post your pronouns and encourage others to share theirs. You can also add your pronouns to your email signature.

It's pretty significant to celebrate International Pronouns Day in October since October is also LGBTQ History Month.

Did you know that there are other pronouns besides he/him/his, she/her/hers, and they/them/their? Some websites state that there are as many as 76 pronouns.

• University of Wisconsin Milwaukee's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Plus (LGBTQ+) Resource Center: Gender Pronouns
• Pronouns.org: Pronouns Matter
• NPR: A Guide to Gender Identity Terms
• Them.us: Gender-Neutral Pronouns 101: Everything You've Always Wanted to Know

Library Resources

And because we are a library, we have books for readers of all ages and interest levels about pronouns, gender identity, LGBTQIA+ history, and books that center LGBTQIA+ narratives using fiction and nonfiction to tell their stories in the Main Library and Curriculum Resource Center (CRC). If you are interested in additional resources, check out the LGBTQIA+ LibGuide that showcases new books as well as older titles and websites about the LGBTQIA+ community at Mount Union and throughout the world. Take a look at the library's Gender Pronouns page on the Gender & Sexuality Studies Libguide.

What's Your Pronoun: Beyond He & She by Dennis Barron

They/Them/Their: A Guide to Nonbinary & Genderqueer Identities by Eris Young

What Are Your Words? : A Book About Pronouns by Katherine Locke 

Payden's Pronoun Party by Blue Jaryn

The Pronoun Book by Cassandra Jules Corrigan

Are you a podcast enthusiast? Check out these podcasts to learn more and maybe find a new podcast to follow.

• Stuff Mom Never Told You: The Importance of Pronouns
• Call Your Girlfriend: Pronoun Power
• The Fix: The Problem with Pronouns

True Crime October

There are many haunting stories of murder, organized crime, and the unexplainable available across various platforms that have become popular among a wide range of listeners and readers. True crime may not be a scary story of vampires and werewolves, but it can be just as intense as any ghost story. October is a month full of the supernatural and horrifying that draws more and more people to listen to true crime stories that end with a twist or gratifying conclusion. Students and staff in each of the libraries on campus were asked what their favorite true crime podcasts were, and the UMU True Crime playlist was created on Spotify. Below you will see a code for the playlist that you can scan with your own Spotify account and listen to at any time but be warned some of the material can be explicit and most certainly terrifying. 

There are also a large number of true crime related books located on display in the UMU Library near the DWOC color copier, feel free to check them out during the month of October! 

Hispanic Heritage Month: Latin Jazz

Hispanic Heritage in Music:  Latin Jazz

September 15 through October 15 are the dates of Hispanic Heritage Month, dates chosen because September 15, 16 and 18 are the anniversary dates for several countries.

To celebrate the month, the Mount Union Library celebrates the Latin American influence on jazz.  Local Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian idioms entertained American jazz audiences for over fifty years.  In the 1950s, Perez Prado’s blend of Cuban dance style with American big band tradition created the mambo dance craze (“Mambo No. 5”), and was parodied by crooner Perry Como in his hit, “Papa loves Mambo.”  In 1964, Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto partnered with jazz musician Stan Getz for the hit bossa nova song, “The Girl from Ipanema.”  Many jazz musicians of the 1950s through the current generation have partnered with Latin American musicians or dabbled in the medium, including Dizzy Gillespie (“Manteco”) and Charlie Parker (“The Latin Bird” album).

To explore the sounds of Latin jazz, check out Naxos Jazz in the libraries’ databases.  Naxos Jazz Library Online (login required from off campus), is a streaming audio database with all styles of jazz, including the most famous Latin-American jazz artists.   Click these links to hear the music of Gato Barbieri (Argentinian saxophonist), Charlie Byrd (American guitarist), Paquito D’Rivera (Cuban-American saxophonist and bandleader), Irakere (Cuban group), Airto Moreira (Brazilian drummer), Chico O’Farrill (Cuban composer), Eddie Palmieri (American bandleader born in Spanish Harlem), Tito Puente (American bandleader of Puerto Rican descent), Flora Purim (Brazilian vocalist), Mongo Santamaria (Cuban percussionist), Arturo Sandoval (Cuban-American trumpeter), and Cal Tjader (American vibraphone player who specialized in Latin jazz).

    Suggested album:  Latin Jazz Winners

     Suggested album: The Beat of Brazil: Brazilian Grooves from the Warner Vaults

Pro Tip:  Click on the Plus “+” button on a track or album that you enjoy to create a personal playlist in Naxos! 

Music Online: Jazz Music Library is another streaming database for jazz recordings.  The Latin Jazz section includes historical and modern recordings in all the major Latin genres as well as recordings by artists not normally known for Latin jazz. 

Suggested reading:

Latin Jazz: The Other Jazz (ebook) by Christopher Washburne (Oxford University Press, 2020).

The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2^nd edition, (Oxford University Press, 2002).

Reference Oversized 781.65 N532k2

All Music Guide to Jazz, 3rd edition, 1998.

Reference 781.65 A416e3

Latin Jazz Overview at allmusic.com

Extended Hours at the Library: Final Exam Fall Semester 2021

Thanksgiving 2021: Hours at the Library

Skull Candy Contest: October 4 - 28, 2021

What will your strategy be to guess how many pieces of candy corn are in the skull? Contest open to all UMU faculty, staff, and students. Stop by KHIC to look at the skull and submit your guess on the official entry form. Only one entry per person allowed. One winner will be chosen and notified on Friday, October 29, 2021.

2021 Ohio PRIDE Events

We are halfway through Pride Month!  Didn't make it to Cleveland Pride? Not to worry; we've compiled a list of nearby(ish) events that you still have time to attend.  While some festivals have been cancelled this year, there are still celebrations happening across the state of Ohio— some of which extend into July and August. (yes, really!) 

JUNE

• June 16: Columbus Pride Party - Danceville USA Studio, 618 Neil Ave, Columbus, OH 

  Newcomers to ballroom dance welcome!  Inviting LGBTQ+ members and allies for a drag show, food, dancing, and a silent auction benefitting Stonewall Columbus.  Reserve a spot by calling (614) 223-1774. 

• June 16: Drag Bingo - 7pm-8pm, Zephyr Pub & Spirits 106 W Main St, Kent, OH 

  $5 per card; benefits the Kent State LGBTQ+ Center's Student Emergency Relief Fund 

• June 18th: PRIDE Skate Party - Skate Zone 71, 4900 Evanswood Dr, Columbus, OH (18+ only)

• June 19th: VIRTUAL Columbus Pride on NBC Channel 4

• June 26: APF Drag Battle - Akron Civic Theatre,182 S Main St, Akron, OH

  Tickets go on sale June 1st!

• June 26: Heroes Among Us Art and Fashion Show - COSI, 333 West Broad Street Columbus, OH

  A showcase of work by local Black and LGBTQIA+ artists and designers who take creative risks, celebrate the culture and honor the Black aesthetic; organized by Black, Out, and Proud.

• June 27: Pride Market - Washington Park, 1230 Elm St, Cincinnati, OH

  Featuring food trucks and over 20 LGBTQ+ owned and affirming businesses from the Cincy area.

JULY

• July 31: Pride in the Valley Festival - Courthouse Square, Warren, OH

  Visit their website to learn more.

AUGUST

• August 7: Mansfield Pride Festival - Central Park, 29 Park Ave E, Mansfield, OH
• August 28: Akron Pride Festival and Equity March - Downtown Akron

For more events, check out the 2021 Ohio LGBTQ+ Pride Guide.

Final Exam Hours for Spring Semester 2021

The library's open late to give you more time to study for your exams and work on final projects.

Seven Powerful Children's Books That Promote Diversity

We’ve all read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Goodnight Moon, and The Cat in the Hat.  While those books are certainly worthy best-sellers, this International Children’s Book Day, let’s focus on the new classics!  Here are seven from the Curriculum Resource Center for children of all backgrounds:

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James

Winner of the Newbery, Caldecott, and Coretta Scott King awards, Crown celebrates the importance of young Black boys and their haircare as a key part of the Black cultural experience.

Drawn Together by Minh Lê, illustrated by Dan Santat

Drawn Together features a young, English-speaking boy and his Thai-speaking grandfather, who find common ground in their mutual love of art.

Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly with Winifred Conkling, Illustrated by Laura Freeman

The picture book version of the New York Times’ best-seller introduces young readers to the inspiring Black female mathematicians, whose calculations got us to the moon!

Dreamers by Yuyi Morales

Winner of the Pura Belpré award, this autobiographical account of a young immigrant mother shows the importance of books and libraries for all.

The Princess in Black by Shannon & Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

No damsels in distress here!  The first of a series, The Princess in Black explores nontraditional gender roles within children’s literature by making the princess protagonist her own protector.

Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

Speaking of gender, this Stonewall award winner uses mermaids as a symbol for gender expression.  The shining moment?  When Julián’s abuela accepts him as he is.

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts

Ada is a young Black girl, interested in STEM.  After making a few adjustments to her sometimes-destructive process, her tenacious pursuit of knowledge is supported by her family.

For more information about these and other books, visit the CRC’s libguide or stop in and see us!