Day 1 Keynote - M. Roger Holland, The Spirtuals Project - Lessons from History: Folk Wisdom of the Negro Spirituals

Many scholars have been clear that to understand the music of African Americans one must do so in tandem with the community that created this music and within its historic context, as well. It has also been argued that African American history is American history. This presentation will examine the music of the Negro Spirituals, the wisdom contained therein, as well as the historic context of slavery that birthed this music. The wisdom and lessons garnered from our exploration together will lend insight to the issues of racial disparity today and hopefully light the way towards a more just and harmonious society for the future.