Black Migrations is the theme of 2019’s Black History Month as chosen by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). The theme focuses on the movement of African American people in the U.S. from the south to the north, from rural to urban, and to Europe after and around WWI and WWII. These migrations would impact the development of new musical forms like jazz and blues, among other artistic and entrepreneurial movements. Digital Scholarship Services has chosen to focus on this movement of music and to highlight the USF Libraries’ African American Sheet Music Collection, by digitizing a selection of sheet music created by African American composers and lyricists, and also by shining a spotlight on the personalities behind the songs in an exhibit: Swing Along! The Music of Early African American Composers.
Digitization for our 2019 celebration includes work by Shelton Brooks, James Tim Brymn, Dr. Charles Cooke, Will Marion Cook, Gussie Lord Davis, William Christopher Handy, J. Rosamond Johnson, Cecil Mack, Maceo Pinkard, Tom Wiggins, and Bert Williams.