Mary D. Williams to offer ‘Sounds of Freedom’ at Asheboro library

ASHEBORO –  Hear “The Sounds of Freedom: From Slavery to Civil Rights” as vocalist and academic Mary D. Williams performs at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 16, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Williams, an adjunct professor at Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies, will sing spirituals and protest songs as a means of exploring the role music played from enslavement through the Civil Rights movement. Her performance is free and the public is invited.

“There is something about music that seems to bring us closer to each other, often connecting us as a community,” she says. “This is true today, and it is true historically, even through some of the most difficult periods of our past.”

Williams’ knowledge of the music and the culture from which it emerged is rooted in her scholarly work. Her goal is to share what she has learned, performing the best traditions of North Carolina while dissecting their subtleties in a manner accessible for a wide audience.

She has provided her voice to various media projects, including the movie Blood Done Sign My Name. She sang at the North Carolina State Capitol for the 150th anniversary celebration of the 13th Amendment, and has appeared on National Public Radio.

She holds a bachelors degree in American Studies and a masters in Folklore from The University of North Carolina  at Chapel Hill.

The library is located at 201 Worth Street. For further information, call 336-318-6803.