I Hear My People Singing

"I Hear My People Singing shines light on a historic Black neighborhood in the heart of Princeton, New Jersey. Some 50 first-person accounts, drawn from an oral history collaboration of African American residents, Princeton undergraduates, and their professor, Kathryn Watterson, detail life in this northern Jim Crow town for the past three centuries. Their stories reveal how the community's roots are intertwined with the enslaved people who were key to building the town and a university whose first nine presidents were slave owners. Chapter introductions provide context, as does the foreword by scholar, theologian, and activist Cornel West. Alive with photographs, I Hear My People Singing offers a narrative of inspiring Black experience that contributes to and illuminates the history of the United States and the nation's conversations on race."--Back cover.

'An open door to the joyous world of singing.' - Cerys Matthews Singing is one thing, but singing together is something else. Powerful and uplifting, group singing creates deep human connections and benefits our wellbeing. And it's fun. Vocal leader James Sills believes that group singing has the power to change lives. It is a joyful expression of our humanity that gives us purpose, encourages us to be fully present, and helps foster social bonds. In Do Sing, James invites us to reflect on our own singing journey. Was there a time when you stopped singing, or were told you couldn't sing? Do certain songs trigger happy memories? With exercises to help unlock your voice, improve breathing, release tension, and a few simple songs to get started, Do Sing will help you to overcome (often deep-rooted) inhibitions and reawaken a love of singing. Do Sing is a welcome remedy to the demands of modern life – and an invitation to experience the joy of group singing for yourself.

"A ... memoir-in-essays that tackles the big questions of life, death, and existential fear with humor and hope"--

Black New Jersey brings to life generations of courageous men and women who fought for freedom during slavery days and later battled racial discrimination. Extensively researched, it shines a light on New Jersey's unique African American history and reveals how the state's black citizens helped to shape the nation.

Throughout history and across the globe, governments have taken a strong hand in censoring music. Whether in the interests of "safeguarding" the moral and religious values of their citizens or of promoting their own political goals, the character and severity of actions taken to suppress and control music that has been categorized as unacceptable, immoral, or as the Nazi's termed the music of Jewish and modernist composers, "degenerate," ranges from economic sanctions to forced immigration, imprisonment, and death. Yet in almost all cases composers found methods to counter this suppression and to let their voices be heard, even through the very music they were often forced to compose for the oppressing parties. In this first major collection of its kind, thirty contributors tackle centuries of music censorship across the globe from the medieval era to the modern day. Case studies address a number of instances both well- and lesser-known, including the tumultuous history of Wagner and Israel, rap music in the United States, silencing of women composers, and music in post-revolutionary Iran. Sections are organized by nature of censorship - religious, racial, and sexual - and type of government enforcement - democratic, totalitarian, and transitional. Focusing on individual composers and artists as well as eras within single countries, this Handbook champions the efficacy of music as an agent of collective power and resilience.

"Addresses censorship as a worldwide issue from its earliest recorded form to the modern day ; Includes unique case studies of music censorship unfamiliar to Western audiences ; Documents censorship through a necessarily intersectional lens." --Oxford University Press.

This comprehensive biography explores the tumultuous and passionate life of activist, singer, and actor Paul Robeson. When faced with the decision to remain silent or be ostracized, Paul Robeson chose to sing, shout, and speak out. Sing and Shout: The Mighty Voice of Paul Robeson explores how Robeson's love of African American spirituals and deep empathy towards the suffering of others drove his long, fervent mission as a civil rights activist and his career as an artist. Although he was also an actor, singing was Robeson's defining talent and where he could best express himself. After exploring socialism, Robeson was targeted by the U.S. government for speaking out about discrimination against African Americans and for his political views. He was labeled a communist during the height of the Cold War and found himself stripped of his U.S. passport. But Robeson never gave in and continued to perform and speak out. The book is based on author Susan Goldman Rubin's extensive research, including fieldwork in Harlem, NY, in Princeton and Somerville, NJ, and at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. Includes an author's note, resources, source notes, index, and a preface by author Harry Belafonte.

“This fiery retrospective collection” of poetry by the acclaimed Chicano-American author of A Place to Stand is “warm and furious...righteous and prayerful” (Booklist). Award-winning writer Jimmy Santiago Baca is lauded for his talent in weaving personal and political threads to create a pertinent and poignant narrative. He addresses universal issues with passion, grace, and vivid sensory detail. Singing at the Gates is a collection of Baca’s work stretching across four decades—poems that revitalize the national dialogue: raging against war and imprisonment, celebrating family and the bonds of friendship, heightening appreciation for and consciousness of the environment. A career-spanning selection, it includes poems drawn from Baca’s first chapbook, letters he wrote from prison to a woman named Mariposa, and recent meditations on the significance of breaking through oppression. “A poet whose voice, brutal and tender, is unique in America.”—The Nation