The National Museum of African American Music in Nashville presented a program June 5 highlighting Black country music artists during CMA Fest, a production of the Country Music Association. The event was curated by singer/songwriter Rissi Palmer and included a talk with Dr. Henri Giles, assistant professor of African American history, and Karla Winfrey, the producers of the CMT documentary “Waiting in the Wings: African Americans in Country Music.” The 2004 award-winning film featured Palmer, who was in the early years of her country music career. The discussion examined shifts in the country music industry and the historical hurdles many Black artists continue to face. The daylong event at NMAAM featured performances by several artists, including Pynk Beard, Julie Williams and Michael B. Whit. An evening concert by Palmer concluded the event. Rissi Palmer is also the host of Apple Music’s Color Me Country radio show.
Giles also participated on a panel May 19 at the Evelyn C. Robertson Jr. Conference of Excellence in Jackson. The WestStar Leadership Program coordinated the event, which was held at the West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center. The panel discussion was titled “From Vision to Action: Strategy, Buy-in, and Execution.” Panelists offered real-life examples of leadership challenges and solutions for improving professional outcomes. Giles completed the Chancellor’s Leadership Academy last April as a member of its first cohort. The panel was moderated by Dr. Mary Giles, assistant professor of education.
PHOTO: Shown at their program at the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville on June 5 were (l-r) Karla Winfrey, Rissi Palmer and Dr. Henri Giles. Giles and Winfrey co-produced a documentary about the shifts in the country music industry and featured Palmer and her music.
