Black Music, Black Life

Black Music, Black Life

Featuring Dr. David Ikard

In August 2024, the National Museum of African American Music showcased Black Music, Black Life, a powerful series created by Dr. David Ikard, Professor of African American Diaspora Studies at Vanderbilt University.

At its core, the series explored the deep and inseparable connection between the lived experiences of African Americans and the ways those experiences find voice through music, movement, and expression. Even in times when Black humanity was reduced to a commodity—bought and sold as property—artistic expression, and especially music, laid bare both the resilience of the spirit and the injustice of those conditions.

The exhibition featured 30 pieces that examined the African American experience through music, illuminating how creativity has long served as both a form of survival and a declaration of freedom.