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Getting the Blues

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The Archive is renowned for its pioneering efforts to rescue, preserve and showcase moving image media. It is dedicated to ensuring that film history is explored and enjoyed for generations to come.

Writing for the Chicago Tribune, arts critic Howard Reich gives a report on a recent "Race, Gender & the Blues" symposium at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois.

"The blues—born of the Black experience in Africa, America and across the diaspora—is slipping away from the people who created it. An art form historically defined by African American artists has become homogenized, with white performers and entrepreneurs increasingly enjoying the rewards of a music invented by others."

The article reflects on the way the industry marginalizes Black artists while it co-opts Black musical tradition.