Bernice Johnson Reagon Research Paper

Up Above My Head: The Musical Legacy of Bernice Johnson Reagon
History 3020
Dr. Bynum
Ryan Dooley
October 28, 2015

Congressman John Lewis said of the importance of music in the movement for racial equality, “The civil rights movement without its music would have been like a bird without its wings…” Music is an integral part of social development. Songs can bolster a cause or movement, catalyzing action, or subduing conflict. Music is one the most important tools in communication, allowing compound ideas and views to be centralized with a simple melody or verse through composition. Bernice Johnson Reagon and members of SNCC (The Student Nonviolence Coordinating Committee) developed an invaluable tool in the fight for racial

Always aware of her past with song and verse, music would continue to be a part of Johnson Reagon’s academic, artistic, and social service projects. Johnson Reagon would go on to head the vocal training of the DC Black Repertory Theater, providing the music supervision for award winning documentaries “Eye’s On The Prize” and “Wade In The Water” which were both aired nationally, on public television and radio. In 1973, Bernice would organize the women’s a Capella group, Sweet Honey In The Rock. The group would focus on the musical traditions and cultural heritage of African Americans. The group would experience quick success, performing at the 1974 Smithsonian American Folklife Festival in Washington DC. Bernice would perform with Sweet Honey for thirty years before finally retiring in 2004. Johnson Reagon spoke on her recent retirement and continuing commitment to positive social change on her

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