Event Information

Throughout the centuries, Blacks have endured the struggles of work, labor, stage performances, employment, and labor legalities in their lives. From enslaved Africans who worked for free and used music to endure to the main stages of today’s major opera houses, we still see labor practices that are unfair, unjust, and discriminatory toward Black people. Based on the 2025 Association for the Study of African American Life and History’s (ASALH) annual theme, the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts’ (CAAPA) experts explore Music and Black Labor, featuring moderator Patrick D. McCoy and panelists Michele Cober, Grayland Snead, and Keenan McCarter.