JUNETEENTH POETRY JAM

A mural by local artist Elisheba Israel Mrozik was unveiled at a Juneteenth celebration on June 19. Inspired by the stories of Black country music artists featured in Vanderbilt professor and award-winning songwriter Alice Randall’s latest book, My Black Country, the work features likenesses of five Black artists pivotal to country music. Vanderbilt’s Division of Government and Community Relations hosted the special event at Vanderbilt Printing Services on Chestnut Street in Nashville.

The First Family of Black Country mural unveiling is the result of a partnership of Vanderbilt, Randall and Mrozik. The event featured remarks from several distinguished speakers, including Nashville Metro Council member Terry Vo, country music artist Carlos DeFord Bailey (the grandson of trailblazing country music star DeFord Bailey) and Vanderbilt Vice Chancellor Nathan Green. Mrozik and Randall, who is a writer-in-residence of African American and diaspora studies at Vanderbilt, also appeared.

Vanderbilt writer-in-residence of African American and diaspora studies and award-winning songwriter Alice Randall holds the Andrew W. Mellon Chair in the Humanities. (Keren Treviño)

“Juneteenth celebrates good news at long last. This mural celebrates the very good and very Nashville news that African Americans have played crucial and essential roles in the development of country music,” Randall says. “This city is rich in murals and other public art. This is the first piece of public art to honor and commemorate the first family of Black country: DeFord Bailey, Lil Hardin, Ray Charles, Herb Jeffries and Charley Pride. Every artist working in country today owes a debt to these five geniuses.”