The Score | Sing Her Name

On July 13, a large audience turned out for “Sing Her Name,” a concert at New York City’s Cooper Union held on the one-year anniversary of the death of Sandra Bland, a 28-year-old black woman found hanged in a jail cell in Waller County, Texas, after being arrested in a traffic stop. Hosted by WQXR classical radio host Terrance McKnight and organized by the nonprofit group The Dream Unfinished, “Sing Her Name” was meant to increase awareness of violence against black women. It featured music by female composers, including Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, and Ethyl Smyth, with Dream Unfinished’s co-artistic directors James Blachly and John McLaughlin Williams as conductors. Performers included vocalist Helga Davis in Courtney Bryan’s Yet Unheard, set to poetry by Sharan Strange honoring Sandra Bland. Also performing were violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins, pianist Michelle Cann, harpist Ashley Jackson, soprano Marlissa Hudson, and baritone Dashon Burton. The keynote speaker was Kimberlé W. Crenshaw, co-founder of African American Policy Forum; other speakers included Gina Belafonte, Farah Griffin, Ashley Jackson, Agunda Okeyo, and Farah Tanis.