African-American Music Appreciation Month is an annual celebration of African-American music in the United States. It was initiated as Black Music Month by President Jimmy Carter who, on June 7, 1979, decreed that June would be the month of black music. Dyana Williams, (a native New Yorker) one half of Old School 100.3’s ‘Soulful Sundays (Philadelphia/Delaware Valley radio market), was featured by NBCNEWS.com as the Godmother of June’s Black Music Month. Williams, with the help from Philadelphia Congressman Chaka Fattah, successfully got legislation passed to get the month nationally recognized. (Source: NBCNEWS, 2015). During this month long celebration, musical genres are highlighted as direct contributions to U.S. cultural history. This includes opera, blues, rock & roll, gospel, hip- hop, rap, jazz, pop, Afro-beat just to list a few- which has a major influence to music lovers all over the world.
Historical Timeline & Fun Facts: https://nationaltoday.com/african-american-music-appreciation-month/#history
Godmother of Black Music Month: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/philadelphia-music-activist-godmother-black-music-month-n381201
National Museum of African American History and Culture- Smithsonian: https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/celebrating-black-music-month
Blog Library of Congress: https://blogs.loc.gov/music/2019/02/year-round-african-american-music-history-at-loc/
HOW TO CELEBRATE AFRICAN-AMERICAN MUSIC APPRECIATION MONTH
- Stream your favorite African-American artists https://www.hoopladigital.com/, https://atlanta.freegalmusic.com/home
- Read up on African-American music history or watch a documentary: https://fulcolibrary.bibliocommons.com/v2/search?query=african%20american%20music&searchType=smart&_ga=2.78209620.1781120658.1622137714-1347958728.1615826114,
- Donate to a music school
- Listen to a Virtual Musical Concert on your favorite platform
LOCAL EVENTS IN ATLANTA
11 ways to celebrate African-American Music Appreciation Month in the ATL (The Atlanta Journal Constitution)ajc.com: https://www.ajc.com/events/ways-celebrate-african-american-music-appreciation-month-atl/bhk5BKLs5v71ITevd5ZYMP/
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