Bernice Johnson Reagon (Finding Aid)

Bernice Johnson Reagon

1942 -

Favorite Color: Teal and Raspberry

Favorite Food: Okra, Watermelon and Greens

Favorite Time of Year: Fall

Interview Length: 214 minutes

Interview Date(s): September 22, 2003, November 21, 2003

Interview Location(s): Washington, D.C.

Abstract

Bernice Johnson Reagon details her family genealogy and the loving family atmosphere where she grew up in rural Georgia. She describes her parents and their hardscrabble backgrounds. Reagon also describes her educational experiences in a segregated one-room schoolhouse where teachers secretly taught black history. Bernice Johnson Reagon details her school life and her parents efforts to overcome the pervasive racism and discrimination faced in education. Reagon describes her early interest in music and singing. Bernice Reagon shares stories of her life in music and civil rights in the early 1960s. She describes her first experiences with civil rights demonstrations which eventually led to her expulsion from Albany State College. Reagon crossed paths with SNCC field coordinator Cordell Reagon who suggested the formation of a freedom singers group. From that collaboration, the SNCC Freedom Singers were born. Reagon also shares her thoughts and reflections on the civil rights movement in that era. Bernice Reagon delves into her history as a SNCC Freedom Singer-- its formation and purpose. She also details her courtship and marriage to SNCC field coordinator Cordell Reagon and the birth of their children. Reagon also examines the importance of freedom songs and their role in the civil rights movement. Bernice Reagon delves into her undergraduate and graduate education and how her worldview was shaped by the revolutionary events occuring around her. Reagon also describes the formation of another singing group, the Harambee Singers. of particular note are Reagon's anecdotes when she examined the connection to chemically relaxing her hair and her role in the civil rights movement. Bernice Reagon describes her life as a PhD candidate at Howard University. She details her efforts to integrate oral history into her curriculm and to make it a viable part of the history program at Howard. Reagon also shares her views on the role of black folk music and its role in transmitting black history. Bernice Reagon reflects on the past 30 years of Sweet Honey in the Rock. She describes how it grew from her past experiences in the SNCC Freedom Singers and the Harambee Singers. Reagon values the feedback received from fans around the globe, especially when they are able to sing her songs back to her. Regon also offers her thoughts on the misogyny present on some contemporary music--rap in particular--and contrasts the difference of what music meant to her as a youth and what it expresses to 21st century youths. Bernice Reagon sums up her career as a singer and songwriter in Sweet Honey in the Rock and what it's all meant. She reflects on her latest album, 'The Women Gather', which came out in response to crises like the September 11 attacks and corporate scandals. She also discusses Sweet Honey's role in AIDS prevention through organizations like Balm in Gilead and other outreach efforts. Reagon said she will leave summations of legacy and how she will be remebered to those who will write her epitaph. Reagon lives life every minute and leaves nothing behind, which is just the way she wants it.

52 Stories (See Ordered Story Set)