GLEN RIDGE, NJ — On Tuesday, Feb. 1, the Women’s Club of Glen Ridge celebrated Black History Month with an engaging and educational virtual program, “Exploring the Black Roots of American Music.” Hosted by the club’s music department, the event investigated and celebrated the contributions from black and African American cultures that have influenced the many genres of American music.
The Women’s Club hosted 70 members and guests virtually via Zoom and started the event with a moving recitation of the Langston Hughes poem “Daybreak in Alabama,” set to classical music by composer Florence Price. Price was the first black woman to be recognized as a classical composer and the first to have her composition played by a major orchestra in 1933. Club member Sayydah Garrett recited the poem at the historic Women’s Club on Ridgewood Avenue.
The club enlisted recording artist and educator Michael Mishaw to lead the evening’s discussion. He began the event by singing a rendition of the poem “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” popularly known as the “Black National Anthem” and written by James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamond Johnson. Mishaw then took viewers on a journey through the black roots of American music, starting with the African American spiritual genre through ragtime, blues, gospel, opera, pop/rock, R&B and jazz, and ending with rap and hip-hop.
“The event was a great way to showcase the monumental contributions and influence black musicians have made and continue to make on American music,” Women’s Club President Sandra Lefkovits said. “It is through exposure to such presentations we learn to understand how interrelated we are. I look forward to the Women’s Club hosting more events that cultivate a better understanding and appreciation of each other.”
Visit www.womensclubglenridge.com for more information on its 2022 events, as well as what COVID-19 safety protocols are in place for all in-person club events.
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