Established in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter, and officially recognized by Congress in 2000, Black Music Month is both a celebration and important reminder that Black artists are the foundation of the American soundtrack.
Their influence is everywhere. Black creators are vital to modern music, style, and performance, defining the culture we all know today. And yet, they are too often removed from the historical and cultural conversation.
Today, the patterns of silencing and erasure continue in new forms, including efforts to restrict the teaching of Black history, and targeting of works by Black creators. All of it part of a broader movement to suppress Black voices and rewrite history.
The Portraits of Excellence illustration series is my way of pushing back, to honor Black creators with the visibility and dignity they’ve always deserved and to spark curiosity that leads more people to explore their artistry and stories for a fuller understanding of our shared culture.
I also want to be clear that while this project celebrates Black artists in music, it is not about reinforcing tired tropes that the value of Black people is found only in entertainment, or that they must to be exceptional to be deserving of respect or dignity.
This project is personal, a 30-year journey, rooted in experiences from my life and career, but it’s not the whole story by far.
I encourage anyone engaging with this work, especially those of us who are not Black, to seek out and support Black voices telling their own stories, in their own words and visuals.
A few places to start:
- Black Girl Songbook – Danyel Smith (Spotify Podcast)
- Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop – Danyel Smith
- The Death of Rhythm and Blues – Nelson George
- Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America – Michael Harriot
- Kahlil Greene, aka the Gen Z Historian
- Firelight Media – Documentaries by Stanley Nelson and others from a BIPOC lens)
- Questlove Supreme – Podcast with deep-dive artist conversations
- Questlove – Various Book releases
- Witness – Robert Jones Jr. (Powerful, personal essays on Black identity, justice, and culture)
- Khafre Jay – Hip Hop Artist & Activist
- Kehinde Wiley – Artist
- Kara Walker – Artist
- Bisa Butler – Artist, Contemporary Quilts
- Vashti Harrison – Author, illustrator, filmaker
- #1000BlackGirlBooks – A movement by Marley Dias
- MoAD SF – Museum of the African Diaspora
- Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
This month at Portraits of Excellence:
Explore a new selection of featured portraits highlighting:
- Black Music Month: Important foundational figures who pushed boundaries and defined genres.
- LGBTQ+ Pride Month: Queer artists who made their mark by being exactly who they are.
