Black Female Artists in the 1920s

Presenter: Shawnia Ard

Presenter Status: Undergraduate student

Academic Year: 21-22

Semester: Fall

Faculty Mentor: Hillary Homzie

Department: Communication & Media Studies

Funding Source/Sponsor: Class Project, SYRCE Symposium

Screenshot URL: https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1536TWcgzFahkpWOgzwCNhScTUDZuIJsP

Abstract:
My SYRCE Creative project focused on the Black female artists in the 1920s life experiences and how they expressed it through music. The project consists of 6 different poem types and 6 different Black female artists in the 1920s. I learned that inserting their back story with the passion of poetry makes it more intense to learn about. Learning more about the artists is important for understanding the unheard voices in the music industry. Most of the women discussed were singing about getting through some mental or physical struggle. And they sang for not only themselves but others. They are the blueprint of most of the music we listen to today and also an inspiration to the new generation of artists. Their influence goes unnoticed most of the time. I wanted to show just a little bit of the history that isn’t taught because of the intersectionality discrimination they face. Being Black and female makes you invisible. But I wanted to give them the spotlight they deserve.