The purpose of this report was for me to research and explore the connection between African American women and music. Since prior to the slave decades, music has been an integral part of African American society, and served as a form of social, economic, and emotional support in African American communities in the past and present. This paper will cover three different types of secular music that emerged during the slave days, through the civil war, reconstruction, and depression periods. They are blues, jazz, and gospel music. Each of these forms of music are still in existence today. In addition...
even rap music. During the years of emancipation and slavery, women of all colors had none or close to no role in American society. The three African American women defined in this report broke the mold. Not only did they have to overcome race barriers, but they also had to overcome the gender barriers alive at that time. The accomplishments they made speak for themselves, and they certainly opened up the door for some of the present African American females in music, such as Whitney Houston, Patti Labelle, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, and Dianna Ross, to name a few.