Music (and art) can be one of the most accurate records of history. It tells the story of the past, with emotional weight and language that is hard to lose in translation and interpretation. In fact, music and art offer the receiver an opportunity to imbue new meaning and understanding through a contemporary lens and context. Here are some reflections from WUOL hosts on art past and present, and how they give context to Juneteenth:
"Marian Anderson at the Lincoln Memorial"
There is no doubt in my mind that performing is an act of bravery, and there is always one musician who comes to my mind above all others when I think of courage: the American contralto Marian Anderson.
Picture this: Marian Anderson’s star was on the rise as a woman with an incredibly powerful voice, and as an artist who moved people deeply. She was invited to sing in Washington, D.C. by Howard University, and the audience size was such that the school couldn’t accommodate a concert of that size. The university turned to the Daughters of the American Revolution, who owned a hall big enough to house the crowd… and they said no. They wouldn’t allow Anderson to perform on their stage because she was Black. And so, instead, Marian Anderson found herself singing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to 75,000 people.
My best definition of bravery is to do something anyway, even when you are scared. Marian Anderson was scared. In fact, she was terrified. Years later, she wrote of the experience “I could not run away from this situation. If I had anything to offer, I would have to do so now." Beyond fear, Anderson also knew that, for a group of people, she was unwanted. Unwanted as a singer, as an artist, and as a person because of the color of her skin. And yet she held her head high, closed her eyes and sang with beauty. That, my friends, is bravery. - Laura Atkinson
"Take Me to the Water"
The entire album is a beautiful exploration of Black music, liberation, and the African diaspora. From the inclusion of reinterpreted spirituals to the stacked cast of pieces chosen from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor to Margaret Bonds to Alice Coltrane to Brandee Younger, Ashley Jackson weaves classical, folk, jazz and West African themes together seamlessly. There is also much to be said about the power of a Black woman reinterpreting a classical “staple” like Claude Debussy, and how Ashley’s perspective shifts the narrative. She specifically talks about how in spirituals, “the ingenuity lies in the coded language. Looking at the lyrics, [water] being the symbol of freedom [and hope for the ancestors.]” This entire album is a master class in Black excellence, but I’ve specifically chosen Brandee Younger’s “Unrest.” Younger’s “Unrest,” released in 2022, reflects on the recent uprisings against police violence and racism in American society. It’s especially poignant in Ashley Jackson’s 2025 release, as we face some of the same societal barriers and continue our fight for liberation. Happy Freedom Day, keep stirring up that good trouble. - Kiana Del
"Songs in Flight"
Shawn Okpebholo's newest song cycle explores the lives of enslaved people who escaped their captivity, and subsequently were sought by their white owners for a reward through newspaper advertisements. These notices appeared around the country (including here in Kentucky), and have been cataloged in the "Freedom on the Move" database. Okpebholo tells this history using words from these ads and texts by Tsitsi Jaji, Crystal Simone Smith, and Tyehimba Jess; with the voices of Rhiannon Giddens, Karen Slack, Will Liverman, Reginald Mobley, and pianist Paul Sánchez. "Songs of Flight" illuminates these stories with emotional precision and musical depth, as loving homages that return the enslaved's story back to its victim, and out of the hands of the slaveowner. As our institutions of government are encouraging whitewashing and cancelling the uncomfortable past of our country, it's vital to keep our history alive — violent and atrocious as it was — as reminders that justice is ongoing and difficult work, but necessary for a more perfect union. - Daniel Gilliam
Tune in on Juneteenth for a day of music celebrating Black excellence and freedom from the past 160 years. You can hear Ashley Jackson's and Shawn Okpebholo's music in the 2pm hour.
