In Memoriam: Bernice Johnson Reagon
October 4, 1942 – July 16, 2024
Bernice Johnson Reagon, a civil rights activist who co-founded The Freedom Singers and later started the African American vocal ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock, died July 16 at the age of 81.
Her daughter, the acclaimed musician Toshi Reagon, shared the news of her mother’s passing Wednesday night in a public Facebook post.
Her Smithsonian Legacy
Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon was many things: a scholar, a Presidential Medal winner, a civil rights pioneer, and a renowned singer and composer. She was also a beloved member of the Smithsonian family whose decades of contributions at the Institution helped make the world a better place.
In 1969, her work on behalf of the Smithsonian began when Ralph Rinzler, co-founder of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, asked Dr. Reagon to develop and curate a program, Black Music Through the Languages of the New World. In 1972, she helped create the African Diaspora program (1973-76), which explored the cultural contributions of African American communities and documented a variety of Black cultures from around the world.
Over the years, Dr. Reagon was a part of many Folklife Festivals and programs. Along with her women’s a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock, she performed on the Grammy-winning album Folkways, A Vision Shared: A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly. She produced Smithsonian Folkways’ Voices of the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. Reagon was also a member of the Smithsonian Folkways Editorial Board and the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage’s Advisory Council.
In 1976, she became the founder and director of the Program in Black American Culture at the National Museum of American History. From 1988 until her retirement in 1993, Dr. Reagon was a curator for the museum’s Division of Community Life, helping increase the representation of the African American experience by expanding the museum’s collections and exhibitions. After she “retired,” she continued serving as a curator emeritus at the Smithsonian, working on projects like the first-ever collaboration between the Smithsonian and NPR, the 26-part Peabody Award–winning radio series about the history of American gospel music Wade in the Water: African American Sacred Music Traditions.
When the National Museum of African American History and Culture was being built on the National Mall, its founding director and current Smithsonian Secretary, Lonnie Bunch, tapped Dr. Reagon to be on the museum’s Scholarly Advisory Committee, a board that would bring serious scholarship to bear on telling complex and difficult stories.
“Bernice’s fierce intellect was only matched by the fierce sense of justice she applied to the struggle for civil rights,” said Secretary Bunch. “As a member of the NMAAHC Scholarly Advisory Committee, her wisdom was invaluable in creating the intellectual framework of the museum. As a singer and songwriter, the lyrics she wrote lift my spirits and embody her lifelong work to see America live up to its ideals: ‘We who believe in freedom will not rest until it comes.’”
During her lifetime, from her youth activism as a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, to her prolific work with the Smithsonian, Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon never rested. Neither will her legacy, which will continue to inspire activists, historians, curators, scholars, and educators who share her steadfast belief in freedom and equality.
Several Smithsonian units have shared remembrances of Dr. Reagon, which we have linked here. We invite you to share your own thoughts and condolences in the comments.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Dr. Reagon was a cultural force who spent her life’s work fighting for freedom and justice.
Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
Folkways Recordings
Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, singer, activist, and historian, organized multi-racial performances in the segregated American South of the 1960s. This conversation was recorded October 22, 2003. More about Bernice Johnson Reagon, Civil Rights song leader
Give Your Hands to the Struggle
Reagon’s strengths as a songwriter, singer, and composer are reflected in this collection of songs performed with powerful layered harmonies. Includes the full-length version of “Freedom in the Air” and the previously unreleased “We’ve Come a Long Way to Be Together.” Originally released in 1975 on Paredon Records and reissued in 1997 by Smithsonian Folkways, this reissue features the original 43 minutes of audio along with an informative 36-page booklet.
Give Your Hands to Struggle | Smithsonian Folkways Recordings (si.edu)
From the media
Bernice Johnson Reagon, singer and civil rights activist, dies at 81 – The Washington Post
Posted: 22 July 2024
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Categories:
African American History and Culture Musuem , History and Culture , Obituaries , Spotlight
