![Bernice Johnson Reagon](https://blackenterprise-prod.b-cdn.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2024/07/IMG_4941-1.jpeg)
by Stacy Jackson
July 19, 2024
The civil rights activist, scholar, and musician described herself as a “songtalker” and believed singing pulled folks collectively.
Civil rights activist, musician, and scholar Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, who co-founded The Freedom Singers, died on the age of 81 on July 16, 2024, in keeping with her daughter, musician Toshi Reagon.
Toshi shared the information through Fb, quoting her mom’s poignant phrases: “I used to be right here earlier than I got here, and after I die, I’m not leaving…”
Born to Reverend Jesse Johnson and Beatrice Smart Johnson, Dr. Reagon devoted over 5 a long time to combating racism and systemic inequities globally. As a civil rights activist and musician, she described herself as a “songtalker.”
“Today, I come as ‘songtalker,’ one who balances discuss and tune within the creation of a reside efficiency dialog with those that collect inside the sound of my voice,” Reagon said on her web site. “As a scholar chief and activist within the Albany Motion, I sang and stood within the sound of the congregational singing of the liberty songs charging the air we breathed.”
The influential civil rights activist and musician was born October 4, 1942, in Dougherty County, Georgia. She served as a area secretary for the Scholar Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and co-founded the SNCC Freedom Singers in 1962.
In 1973, whereas at Howard College, Reagon established the famend African American girls’s cappella group Candy Honey In The Rock. Her illustrious profession included management roles on the Smithsonian Establishment and a professorship at American College. As a musician and civil rights activist, Dr. Reagon obtained quite a few accolades, together with the MacArthur Basis Genius Award and the Presidential Medal for contribution to public understanding of the humanities.
All through her life, Reagon seamlessly blended her roles as a civil rights activist, musician, and scholar, leaving an indelible mark on American tradition and social justice actions.
Reagon’s affect prolonged past activism and efficiency into scholarly and media realms. She spearheaded the creation of “Wade within the Water,” a groundbreaking sequence on African American sacred music that earned a Peabody Award. This venture, alongside along with her work on Africans in America, showcased her experience in cultural historical past. Her abilities additionally enriched the movie business. Reagon lent her musical prowess to a number of acclaimed productions, together with the civil rights documentary Eyes on the Prize and the difference of Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved.
Plans for a public celebration of life will likely be introduced.
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