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A resolution honoring the life of Bernice Johnson Reagon.
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WHEREAS, on July 16, 2024, civil rights activist and singer Bernice Johnson Reagon died at the age of 81; and
WHEREAS, Reagon was born in 1942 outside of Albany, Georgia and was the daughter of a Baptist minister. She grew up in a closely connected African American community and spent much of her childhood in a church rooted in spirituals and hymns; and
WHEREAS, in 1959, Reagon attended Albany State College, a historically Black public college in Georgia where she studied music. During her time at Albany State College, Reagon began to take an interest in activism and joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the NAACP; and
WHEREAS, during her time with the SNCC and NAACP, Reagon assisted in voter registration drives and anti-segregation protests, including singing at rallies and demonstrations; and
WHEREAS, in 1961, Reagon was jailed for her participation in a civil rights demonstration, later resulting in her expulsion from Albany State College. While imprisoned, Reagon sang and recognized the power music has in maintaining community, and credited this experience with guiding her throughout her career; and
WHEREAS, Reagon was later accepted to Spelman College and eventually went on to complete her undergraduate degree after taking a break to create the SNCC Freedom Singers with co-founder Cordell Reagon; and
WHEREAS, Bernice married Freedom Singers co-founder Cordell Reagon in 1963, and the couple had two children together before divorcing in 1967; and
WHEREAS, Reagon returned to academia and received the Ford Foundation Fellowship which enabled her to move to Washington, D.C. and earn her Ph.D. in History from Howard University; and
WHEREAS, during her time at Howard University, Reagon was the Vocal Director of the Black Repertory Theater in D.C. and created the all-female, all-Black acapella group, Honey in the Rock; and
WHEREAS, Honey in the Rock recorded num...
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