Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Foundation is a focal point for researching, archiving, and raising awareness of Black American Traditional Music and the Black Experience through media and a collected repository. The African American Folklorist furthers the mission by publishing articles discussing the evolution of our traditions and presenting research about blues people. We include interviews with and articles from musicians,...
Whether it's art, literature, bluegrass, or blues, Black Kentuckians have had a hand in shaping it. The African American Folklorist explores that history by providing a more personal look at culture. Building upon the existing newspaper and podcast series, The African American Folklorist presents a chance to share lesser-known stories of influential figures. As an applied folklorist and media producer, I began producing 4-minute features based...
Stories of Modern-Day Firsts in the Black Church: The First Four Women Reverends at State Street Baptist Church Photo of the State Street Baptist Church by Paige Murphy This two-part podcast series, published on the Kentucky Folklife Magazine site, tells the “Amazing Stories of Modern Day Firsts in the Black Church” as they relate to State Street Baptist Church. Reverend Freddie Brown, State Street’s last head reverend, was the...
Check out my article for the Journal of Folklore and Education published by Local Learning. There I go into more detail. Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Foundation is a private operating organization based in Bowling Green, KY. The foundation is regarded as the focal point for research, archiving, and raising awareness of African American Traditional Music and the Black experience, as well as philanthropists who raise donations to teach...
I created this course syllabus to examine the traditions, traditional beliefs, cultural context, geographical locations, music, and vernaculars that make African American folklore and folklife. Each unit will be dedicated to unraveling the various genres and the documentation methods in which these selected folk practices build upon earlier forms and their function within the communities of origin. Through close analysis, students will better...