Radio

Continuous Wave: “The Price I Pay To Be Free,” and the Timeless Radio of Richard Durham

Sonja D. Williams African Americans, Audiobook, Biography, Black Radio, Books, Chicago culture, Creative Writing, Drama, Education, Fiction Writing, History, Journalism, Nonfiction, Nonfiction Writing, Radio, Smithsonian Institution

Each week, journalist Julia Barton whips out her fascinating online newsletter, Continuous Wave. It explores the forgotten history of broadcast and all electronic media, and she recently featured an excerpt from my biography of Radio Hall of Fame writer Richard Durham.

Please see Julia’s introduction to her post below,  and then check out her newsletter excerpt on Durham by clicking on The Price I Pay to be Free link.

Happy Reading!

Note from Julia: I’ve said it before — US network radio in the 1920s and 1930s was an absolute embarrassment when it came to race. Not only did early radio deploy crude ethnic stereotypes — with popular shows like Amos’n’Andy built around the “racial ventriloquy” of white men depicting Black characters — but it was almost impossible for actual Black people to get on network air as themselves, or Black writers to get dramatic scripts past gatekeepers.

That started to change with the onset of US involvement in World War II, as the government, which needed enlistment and buy-in from Black communities, asked radio to open its doors to more voices and points of view. From this opening came a new generation of Black radio actors and writers. One of the best was Richard Durham, a journalist with the Chicago Defender who in 1948 started the history series Destination Freedom on Chicago’s NBC powerhouse affiliate WMAQ (ironically, the same station where Amos’n’Andy got its start).

Howard University professor Sonja D. Williams has written a fascinating biography of Richard Durham called Word Warrior: Richard Durham, Radio, and Freedom. Williams is also a Peabody-award-winning audio producer, and it was in the course of researching the Smithsonian’s documentary series Black Radio: Telling It Like It Was that she first encountered Durham’s work. “I was struck by this series’ lyricism, dramatic flair, and fiery rhetoric,” she writes.

Today, with Williams’ permission, we’re bringing you the story of Destination Freedom, an excerpt from Word Warrior. After this, I hope that if you haven’t already, you’ll go read the whole book. Here’s Sonja Williams:

“The Price I Pay to Be Free” Sonja D. Williams on the timeless radio of Richard Durham

 

Accepting the 2025 Edward L. Bliss Award for Distinguished Broadcast Journalism Education – Yay!!

Sonja D. Williams African Americans, Biography, Black Radio, Documentary, Education, Journalism, Nonfiction, Nonfiction Writing, NPR, Podcasting, public radio, Radio

On August 8th in San Francisco, California, I became this year’s receipient of the annually-awarded (since 1983)  Edward L. Bliss Award for Distinguished Broadcast Journalism Education from the Broadcast and Mobile Journalism division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.

As the first African American woman and only the sixth woman to receive this national recognition, I was blown away by this honor!

For 25 years at CBS News in New York City, Edward L. Bliss served as a producer, writer and editor for legendary journalists like Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite. Then in Washington, DC, Bliss went on to develop American University’s journalism program, nurturing its growth for nearly 30 years.

So needless to say, receiving this award in Bliss’ name was an exciting and a humbling experience.

This photo features the Howard University Cathy Hughes School of Communications alumni who attended the ceremony, including (front row) Dr. Rochelle Ford & Jane Philpott; (back row) Charles Turner, Pendarvis Harshaw, Dr. Kimberly Moffitt – HU School of Communications Dean, Dr. George Daniels & Mela Woods. The other photograph features Bliss Award Committee chair, Dr. William Silcock and I.

And if you’re so inclined, feel free to click on the link below to see videos of Dr. Moffitt’s and Dr. Ford’s speeches, the Bliss Award tribute video and my acceptance speech.

Enjoy and thanks so much for your support!

Bliss Tribute Videos

An Interview About Black Radio History and A Personal Journey

Sonja D. Williams African Americans, Biography, Black Music, Documentary, Education, History, Journalism, Music, Podcast, Podcasting, public radio, Radio, Smithsonian Institution

Last month, Mitra Kaboli one of the producers of Selects – a monthly show that unearths audio gems from the past –  interviewied me about my work as an audio documentary writer and producer.

Specifically, Mitra asked about my radio background and the role I played in the production of the Smithsonian Institution’s Peabody Award-winning documentary series, Black Radio: Telling It Like It Was. Grammy Award winning singer and artist Lou Rawls served as the series’ host.

To hear the interview, click here.

And enjoy!

 

 

 

Celebrating The Life and Influence of Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon

Sonja D. Williams African Americans, Black Radio, Documentary, Education, History, Music, Nonfiction, NPR, Podcast, Podcasting, public radio, Radio, Smithsonian Institution

On July 16th, MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, joined the ancestors.

Dr. Reagon was a powerful singer/songwriter, a leading Smithsonian Institution curator and a trailblazing social activist/historian/author.

She founded and led – for 30 years – the Grammy nominated acapella singing group, Sweet Honey in the Rock. The group is now celebrating its 50th anniversary. Dr. Reagon’s richly distinctive alto voice was a powerful testament to the struggles and triumphs of the American civil rights movement and contemporary freedom movements worldwide.

Dr. Reagon also was an inspirational teacher and mentor. Her unofficial mentorship of me began when I became a writer/producer on NPR’s and the Smithsonian Institution’s Peabody Award-winning 1994 documentary series, Wade in the Water: African American Sacred Music Traditions. This series explored nearly 200 years of Black sacred music history and inventions – a groundbreaking research and production undertaking.

Songs and Singing as Church  was the first show in the Wade series, and with Dr. Reagon’s steadfast guidance, I was honored to produce it along with 12 other shows in this 26-part series.

During a 5-year period, the entire Wade production team was buoyed by Dr. Reagon’s conceptual leadership, impressive musical and historical knowledge, and her keen interest in the lives and influences of the men and women who created Black sacred music – from spirituals, lined hymns and jazz to traditional and contemporary gospel.

Through Dr. Reagon I learned to employ oral history interviewing techniques that encouraged people to share their experiences, and that validated the importance of their life stories. We Wade producers couldn’t wait to interview, record commissioned musical performances, or find archival tape of the artists, ministers, congregants, scholars, and listeners who might share their insights on Black sacred music’s multilayered and wide-reaching impact.

For the 26 hour-long programs in the Wade series, we set our sights on featuring artists like BeBe and CeCe Winans, Jessye Norman, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, John Coltrane, Mahalia Jackson, Edwin and Walter Hawkins, Aretha Franklin, Billie Preston, the Staple Singers, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Take 6 – just to name a few.

All the while, Dr. Reagon was there to advise, to listen, to critique, and to work – sometimes in weekly studio recording sessions that lasted from 7:00pm to 3:00am. She was a serious trooper/general, and we followed her lead.

As a true musical and scholarly force of nature, I thank Dr. Reagon for positively influencing – and transforming – my professional life.

To read more about Dr. Reagon, please click on the link below.

Bernice Johnson Reagon – Obituary  https://wapo.st/3zN65KX

Happy Summer and a Look at Black Radio!

Sonja D. Williams African Americans, Black Radio, Documentary, Education, History, Journalism, Nonfiction, Nonfiction Writing, public radio, Radio, Smithsonian Institution

Here’s hoping that you are staying as safe and as cool as possible during this sizzling summer!

If you’re looking for some summer reading possibilities, you might want to check out the link below. It will take you to an article that I wrote about a radio series I had the pleasure of working on that documented the history and significance of Black radio and African American culture.

So, pull up a chair, kick up you feet and enjoy!

Black Radio: Telling It Like It Was – Documenting Radio on the Radio

 

 

 

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