Note: It would not be prudent for me to share how the past 29 days of our lives have been personally & directly changed within our family and friends since 1/20/2025. Or specific instances of how those changes reach farther than just us. Instead, what follows is an attempt at showing in a less threatening context – how
silenced voices can yet speak.
Just a few days ago, as I was “doing what I do” across multiple areas of interest – taking deep dives into satisfying curiosities, researching on-line and hardcopy, expanding my knowledge-base to further enrich my (he)artistic creations, personal enrichment, and ‘growing in knowing’ – I came across yet another disturbing announcement.
So much so that I copied and pasted the relevant portions of the National Endowment of the Arts website info to a Word doc in the event original articles would be scrubbed and disappear entirely. What a thing to feel compelled to do. Yet, this was based upon recent blackouts of other websites such as DEI, NIH, USAID, CDC…
The National Endowment for the Arts cancelled its grant program Challenge America for fiscal year 2026. In operation since 2001, the program primarily supports small organizations & individuals that reach “historically underserved communities that have limited access to the arts relative to geography, ethnicity, economics, and/or disability.” *
The National Endowment for the Arts itself is a conduit of support for a myriad of disciplines ranging from scientific research, the arts, and community development through its extensive grant programs.
The artist I was interested in tracking down, Susan Hudson, is a 2024 NEA National Heritage Fellow. She was honored (along with 9 others) just this past September at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts ** and the Library of Congress.
Native American Heritage Month is in November.
November 2024, it was celebrated all out, in full view – integrating past, present and future aspects of this vibrant cultural community and its members.
Black History Month is in February.
Now. This month. This year. February 2025.
It is currently in low gear due to unspecified ‘new guidelines’ yet demanding adherence. In addition, Black History Month, as an “Identity Month” has been declared dead by the DoD.
That said, join me now as I envision a celebration parade headed by my Black History Month honoree of personal choice: Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
Need help with that?
Pretend you’re one of the audience here in this vintage footage of Sister Rosetta performing in the rain at the then abandoned (and now non-existent) Chorlton railway station on Wilbraham Road, Manchester, England.
As part of the 1964 Blues & Gospel Train Tour through Europe, this all out performance in the rain exemplifies what it means to be a true performing (he)artist.
“The station was dressed up to look like one from the American South, but typically for Manchester, the weather did not echo that area’s dustbowl conditions. Shortly after the train which carried the audience the few miles south from Manchester’s city centre pulled in, a storm lashed the station.
‘Sister Rosetta came to me and asked if she could change her opening number to Didn’t It Rain? … when she strapped on her guitar, it was astounding.’
Mr. Hamp says the downpour would have been his worst memory of the show had it not led to his best.”
a memory from TV producer Johnnie Hamp
I will not elaborate on the impact these current times are making upon everyday Americans – scientists, musicians, academics, researchers, educators, students, health workers, families, farmers, etc – At least not directly.
For now, this is how one voice, my voice, can yet speak.
*from the original website category list description as per my cut and paste Word doc
**Since then, much has changed within the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, making this past event hold even more significance.