African American Music in the Struggle for Existence in the United States

On April 8th, 2026, I gave a presentation on the centrality of music within the African American struggle within the United States. Tracing the “tenacious recalcitrance” of African Americans back to the spirit of West Africa, I argued that such recalcitrance animated the music of enslaved African Americans in the antebellum South to the Jim Crow period, through the Civil Rights struggle unto the Black Power movement, a spirit which was once again reborn in the music of the 1990s. I pressed the students once again to rediscover that “tenacious recalcitrance” in the music they listen to and that they perform, and to allow such meaningful music to be the soundtrack of their lifeworld – pushing them to achieve greater things in this life beyond the trappings of comfort and conspicuous consumption. The invitation to speak came from the men of Alpha XI Omega “Elite,” an amazing fraternity on campus, advised by Prof. Laura Barlond-Maas. I was joined on stage by UO President Steven Corey, Dr. Linda Logan, and the men of Elite, who discussed numerous Black musicians who contributed to the struggle for equality, dignity, and freedom. The pictures below were taken by the student Sydney Lynch (Sigma Beta) and Dr. Linda Logan.