In the Nation's Capital\, music and sports
have played a central role in the lives of African Americans\, often serv
ing as a barometer of social conflict and social progress--for sports club
s and ball games\, jam sessions and concerts\, offered entertainment\, enl
ightenment\, and encouragement. \;
Rhythms of Resistance and Resi
lience tells the story of these musicians and athletes who have used their
skills and their determination to achieve success in the face of discrimi
nation. Jackson begins with pioneers such as James Reese Europe\, who form
ed the first musicians' union and fought as a member of the Harlem Hellfig
hters in World War I\, and ends with giants of the twentieth century\, suc
h as Duke Ellington and Georgetown University basketball coaching legend J
ohn Thompson Jr.
Readers interested in the history of Washin
gton\, DC\, the civil rights movement\, racial justice\, music\, and sport
s will draw important lessons from these stories of the Black men and wome
n who found in sports and music spaces to combat racial prejudice and brin
g people in the District of Columbia together.
Maurice Jackson teache
s Atlantic world and African American history at Georgetown University. He
is author of Let This Voice Be Heard\, and coeditor of African Americans
and the Haitian Revolution and DC Jazz (Georgetown University Press\, 2018
). He was the inaugural chair of the Washington\, DC\, Commission on Afric
an American Affairs\, appointed by the mayor.