Expressing Gratitude through Music
The title of this exhibit pulls from Sly & the Family Stone’s 1969 song bearing the same name. Following the publication of the "Redding Report," co-authors Redding, Monica Hargrove, and Eileen Cave published an "Open Letter to [the] Black Community" in Black Praxis magazine.
From the key Civil Rights anthem “We Shall Overcome" to James Brown’s, “Say It Loud: I'm Black and I'm Proud," songs of protest and pride resounded through college campuses and Black households alike. In quoting “Stand!” by Sly and the Family Stone, the authors communicated their gratitude to the Dartmouth Black community, thanking students for “having the courage to stand with [them]” for what is morally right in the fight for equality (Historical Accountability) after the Administration's hostile reaction to "The Redding Report."
Redding had harnessed music as a tool for community-building.
"I think for a lot [of us], those parties and music, and all the rest, especially songs like "Stand!", allowed you to have the strength to go back out in what was geographically a very white environment [laughter]. And oftentimes, it was just kick-back just for you being you."
In 2017, Black Praxis released a digital shoot titled "Black Gold." Sandwiched in between images of gold-painted Black Dartmouth students are the lyrics "You are Black gold, with a diamond soul" from Esperanza Spalding's 2012 hit, "Black Gold."
Music is central to the tradition of storytelling in the Black community; often encoding messages of resilience and hope. Today, magazines like Black Praxis sustain the Black community at Dartmouth by creatively addressing the need for more spaces and stories that celebrate Black identity.