Giving Voice: The Power of Words in African American Culture
3,307 views · Published 29 December 2009 · 4:53 · Indexed 30 September 2026
Channel: Smithsonian · 2009 · Music
In the Summer of 2009, the Smithsonian hosted the 43rd annual Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington DC. One of the programs was Giving Voice: The Power of Words in African American Culture, which included a selection of performances by Black poets, storytellers, actors, comedians, and radio personalities that presented the traditions of contemporary African American Culture that have been spread throughout the community through oral traditions and verbal arts. Participants included childrens singer/songwriter Ella Jenkins, veteran actress Phyllis Yvonne Stickney, and poet Thomas Sayers Ellis. This video goes behind the scenes with program curator James A. Robinson as he reflects on the Festivals program. The content and comments posted here are subject to the Smithsonian Institution copyright and privacy policy (www.si.edu/copyright/). Smithsonian reserves the right in its sole discretion to remove any content at any time.
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