Page 20 - CJSept24

William Dawson: An Interview with Mark Malone

ing an issue and take the train to Chicago, William While serving as music director at Lincoln High
Dawson was forever loyal to Tuskegee. In those early School in Kansas City, William Dawson met and be-
days, President Robert Russa Moton would have to friended art instructor Aaron Douglas. The two be-
follow Dawson to Illinois and persuade the composer came fast friends that lasted a lifetime and were sound-
to return. Having initiated his tenure at the college at ing boards for the struggles encountered by people of
the outset of the Great Depression, the challenges of color. Douglas was already a reader of Crisis, the pub-
maintaining enrollment in degree programs within the lication of the National Association for the Advance-
School of Music were greatly challenging, yet disap- ment of Colored People (NAACP) and greatly encour-
pointing to the composer. aged Dawson to take into account social, economic,
Ultimately, however, William Dawson was commit- and artistic challenges for people of color. Finding a
ted to the students and the music program at Tuskegee, friend of the same cultural background began to lift
remaining in the position for twenty-five years. Tributes Douglas from his perceived prison of isolation as a
to Dawson abound from former students, especially Black artist, which inspired him to depart Missouri for
from nationally known author Ralph Ellison, attesting Harlem in 1925. This time is considered by many to be
to Dawson’s imposing presence as a pedagogue and among the most productive years of the Harlem Re-
conductor. Yet, faculty and former students revealed naissance. Douglas’s influential leadership and creativ-
their understanding of his deep love for them in ex- ity would guide many to proclaim him to be the Father
acting excellence in performance and providing an ex- of African American Art.
ample for success in the world at large. While William Dawson chose a different path that
Dawson did spend a year in residence as conductor eventually led him to spend most of his life in Tuske-
of the choir at Fisk University, marking his only full- gee, Alabama, Rae Linda Brown, David Yarbrough,
time employment outside of Tuskegee. In demand as and others proclaimed that though he worked from a
a choral clinician and conductor of all-state choirs na- satellite location, Dawson’s life and work reflected ad-
tionwide, Dawson traveled extensively but remained a herence to the ideals of the Harlem Renaissance. The
resident in the town of Tuskegee and kept a post office Reawakening afforded African American writers and
box on the Tuskegee campus until his death. artists a means to clearly define themselves devoid of
the extreme caricature attached to their race. Among
Dawson believed that his work as a Black man the goals expressed were: achieving social justice, build-
in a white-dominated and unequal world would ing a sense of racial pride, encouraging the creative
prove eventually to lead to “social change lead- self-expression of African Americans, and a focus on
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ing to racial equality.” Were you able to ascer- intellectualism. William Dawson’s life and work clearly
tain how Dawson felt about the American pur- emphasized each of these ideals in pursuit of equality
suit for equality toward the end of his life in for African Americans.
the 1990s? In addition, how much did Dawson
consider what he accomplished as movement Achieving Social Justice
toward a more equal and just society? Perhaps the goal of reaching racial equality and a
manifestation of the Fourteenth Amendment could
Following the example of his mentor, Booker T. be termed a “Black Lives Matter” message from the
Washington, William Dawson was a strong believer in flowering of artistic output during the Harlem Renais-
attempting to work within established protocols or re- sance. Dawson believed in utilizing organic African
straints to achieve social change that would eventually American melodic material and extending its signifi-
lead to equality of the races. Never one to aggressively cance and influence, or as Kyler says, “to struggle for
or overtly challenge barriers for African Americans, he equality through nonviolent intransigence and artis-
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often stood quietly unmoving in response to blatant ra- tic means.” The spirituals, or “Negro Folk Songs”
cial discrimination or would use a soft answer to quell as Dawson preferred (as it aligned him with Antonin
micro-aggression aimed at Black people. Dvořák), afforded Dawson recognition and acceptance

18 CHORAL JOURNAL September 2024 Volume 65 Number 2