Lawrence Gellert, a music collector who worked to introduce white audiences to a tradition of Black musical protest during the 1930s and 1940s, will be the subject of the Jandoli Institute鈥檚 next music and social justice online forum.
Lawrence Gellert, a music collector who worked to introduce white audiences to a tradition of Black musical protest during the 1930s and 1940s, will be the subject of the Jandoli Institute鈥檚 next music and social justice online forum.
Dr. Steven P. Garabedian, author of a book about Gellert, will lead the discussion, which is scheduled for Monday, May 17, at 7 p.m.
鈥淢usically, I see a parallel between the music Gellert collected and today鈥檚 hip hop,鈥 Garabedian, an assistant professor of history at Marist College, said. 鈥淧olitically, the lesson of Gellert and Black musical protest is one about the value of dominant culture allies to communities in struggle, cross-cultural coalition and its perils, and the stultifying haze of mass white delusion and denial when it comes to the realities of systemic injustice and the long fight to undo it.鈥
Garabedian鈥檚 book, tells the story of Gellert鈥檚 rise in popularity and stature as a music collector, as well as the efforts of critics to dismiss him as a fraud.鈥
鈥淭he book is about that rise and fall, but his material was authentic and reliable,鈥 Garabedian said. 鈥淚 approached the book as a cultural history, not just a story about the collector."
Garabedian鈥檚 presentation, part of the institute鈥檚 鈥淪harp Notes, Sharp Thoughts鈥 series, will be followed by an online discussion with:
鈥 , a musician, producer and cultural arts educator. Freeman is a faculty member at Pace University鈥檚 Department of Media, Communications, and Visual Arts and Director of Education for Brooklyn Raga Massive. He also serves on the board of The Association of Teaching Artists.
鈥 Alex R. Gillham, an assistant professor of philosophy at St. Bonaventure University. Gillham鈥檚 research focuses on topics in ethics, ancient philosophy and philosophy of religion. He is particularly interested in the connection between music, identity and morality.
鈥 , an associate professor in the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University and executive director of the Jandoli Institute. He writes and comments regularly on the intersection of music and public policy. During his career as a journalist, he covered rock 鈥檔鈥 roll for several years before establishing himself as a political reporter.
鈥 , an archivist at Media Transfer Service in Rochester and host of a weekly podcast, 鈥淪treet Corner Talking.鈥 As station manager and music director at 88.3 W天涯社区官网-FM, he interviewed professional musicians, celebrities and athletes. They included Stephen Stills, Judy Collins, Louis Anderson, Doug Flutie, Dr. Oz, Jimmy Page and many others.
鈥 , chair of the Department of Media, Communications, and Visual Arts at Pace University, where he teaches strategic and organizational communication in both the undergraduate and graduate programs.
To register for Monday鈥檚 forum, complete the institute鈥檚 online .
The Jandoli Institute launched 鈥淪harp Notes, Sharp Thoughts鈥 in October to explore the connection between music and social justice. The institute developed the project in collaboration with the Department of Media, Communications, and Visual Arts at Pace University. Through the project, scholars, musicians, journalists and others show how music has been 鈥 and can continue to be 鈥 a positive tool for social change.
Previous forums have explored how today鈥檚 society should view the Band鈥檚 1969 song 鈥淭he Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,鈥 the Jazz and People鈥檚 Movement that brought attention to African American jazz musicians in the 1970s, the role musicians鈥 fans can play in promoting social justice, punk music鈥檚 ability to question corporate behavior, and the role of ticket corporations in the music industry.
The institute serves as a forum for academic research, creative ideas and discussion on the intersection between media and democracy. The institute, accessible at , is part of the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University.
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