Baylor University Archive of Black Gospel Music to Be Housed at the Smithsonian Museum

Baylor University in Waco, Texas, has announced that its Black Gospel Music Restoration Project will become a permanent feature of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

DardenBookThe project involves the digitization of thousands of gospel music recordings that until now were only saved on 45 or 78 rpm vinyl records. The project has been the long-time work of Robert Darden, an associate professor of journalism, public relations, and new media at Baylor. His 2005 op-ed piece in The New York Times warning that much of Black Gospel history was in danger of being lost prompted the drive to preserve it for generations to come.

Professor Darden  stated that “we wanted to begin the never-ending process of identifying, acquiring, digitizing and cataloguing gospel music’s fast-vanishing vinyl legacy. The second goal dream was to make this priceless, extraordinary music widely available.” When the new Smithsonian Museum open next’s year in Washington, the second goal will become a reality.

Professor Darden is the author of the book People Get Ready! A New History of Black Gospel Music (Bloomsbury Academic, 2005).

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

California State University Sacramento Launches Black Honors College

Officially launching for the fall 2024 semester, the Black Honors College will support students from all backgrounds who study Black history, life, and culture by providing them with a specialized curriculum and mentoring opportunities.

Higher Education Gifts or Grants of Interest to African Americans

Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.

In Memoriam: Norman B. Anderson, 1955-2024

Dr. Anderson was the assistant vice president for research and academic affairs at Florida State University at the time of his death. He had an extensive career in clinical psychology, which led him to become the first African American chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association.

Georgia State University Launches Program to Support Black Women in Tech

While Black women account for roughly 29 percent of the Georgia State University undergradaute student body, they represent only 10 percent of the university's computer science majors and 18 percent of the computer information systems majors.

Featured Jobs