Leftist icon’s death announced
Bernice Johnson Reagon, a renowned civil rights activist and influential musician, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 81. Her daughter, the celebrated musician Toshi Reagon, announced her mother’s passing in a heartfelt Facebook post on Wednesday night.
Reagon’s legacy is deeply intertwined with the liberation struggles of the 1960s, where her voice became a beacon of hope and resistance. She co-founded The Freedom Singers, a pivotal a cappella group, and later started the acclaimed African-American vocal ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock. Throughout her life, she used music as a powerful tool for activism, performing at marches, in jailhouses, universities, concert halls, protests, and houses of worship.
💔Bernice Johnson Reagon, a founder of The Freedom Singers and Sweet Honey in the Rock, has died https://t.co/MJmHeR5BJu
— Small Farm Dairy (@SmallFarmDairy) July 18, 2024
Born in southwest Georgia, the daughter of a Baptist minister, Reagon was admitted to Albany State, a historically Black public college, at the age of 16 to study music. Albany, Georgia, became a significant center for the civil rights movement, particularly when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested there in 1962. Reagon, however, missed much of the media frenzy surrounding King’s arrest because she was already in jail for her activism.
Reagon’s musical journey was rooted in the freedom songs of the civil rights movement, often reworking traditional spirituals to reflect the struggle for equality. She famously replaced the word “Jesus” with “freedom” in many songs, such as the stirring “Woke Up This Morning.” Her ability to merge music with resistance helped galvanize the movement and left a lasting impact on those fighting for civil rights.
After being expelled from Albany State due to her arrest, Reagon co-founded The Freedom Singers under the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). The group used music to document and promote the activities of SNCC, singing about significant events and figures in the movement. Their performances highlighted the crucial role of music in unifying and inspiring activists.
In 1963, Reagon married Cordell Reagon, a fellow founder of The Freedom Singers. They had two children, Kwan Tauna and Toshi, both of whom carried on their mother’s musical legacy. After divorcing in 1967, Reagon continued her education, received a Ford Foundation Fellowship, and founded Sweet Honey in the Rock, an all-female a cappella group that became renowned for its powerful performances and activism.
Reagon’s contributions extended beyond the civil rights movement. She became a prominent scholar of Black musical life, receiving a music history appointment at the Smithsonian in 1974 and earning a Ph.D. from Howard University in 1975. Her accolades include a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” in 1989, a Peabody Award for her NPR documentary “Wade in the Water” in 1994, and the Presidential Medal and Charles E. Frankel Prize in 1995.
Bernice Johnson Reagon 81, Civil Rights Activist & Founder of Sweet Honey in the Rock, Died. In the Sixties, Reagon was a central part of the African American struggle for civil rights, while enrolled in college, where protests & marches were often accompanied by mass arrests.😢 pic.twitter.com/d1H205QTLA
— Sumner (@renmusb1) July 18, 2024
“Wade in the Water” was a 26-part NPR documentary series that explored African American sacred music, celebrating the ways in which worship and liberation intersected. Reagon’s work in this area cemented her status as a leading figure in the study and preservation of Black musical traditions.
Bernice Johnson Reagon’s life was a testament to the power of music as a force for social change. Her voice and activism inspired countless individuals and left an indelible mark on the history of civil rights in America.
Key Points:
- Bernice Johnson Reagon, civil rights activist and musician, died at 81.
- Co-founded The Freedom Singers and Sweet Honey in the Rock.
- Integral in the 1960s civil rights movement, blending music and activism.
- Became a leading scholar of Black musical life, earning multiple prestigious awards.
- Her legacy includes a Peabody Award-winning NPR series and significant contributions to the preservation of African American sacred music.
Lap Fu Ip – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
