Oberlin College takes heat for putting white faces on Black music

OBERLIN — Ending Black History Month with an all-white faculty event has Oberlin College and Conservatory once again taking criticism and issuing an apology. A recital Sunday afternoon, meant to be a celebration of music created by people of color, featured the works of notable Black composers William Grant Still, Jeffrey Mumford and Chevalier de Saint Georges. Oberlin College posted a flier to social media to advertise the virtual concert. However, it featured the faces of white faculty musicians violinist Francesca DePasquale, pianist James Howsmon, cellist Darrett Adkins, violinist David Bowlin and harpsichordist Mark Edwards. Commenters were quick to call out the situation. "Is this satire? I cannot understand how this celebration has not one Black person featured," wrote Estella Royce. "This is beyond tone deaf." Sara Sasaki, an alumna of the conservatory, said the musicians involved know better "than to have no racial diversity in the ensemble of musicians performing. I was taught better by many of these people in the roster here." Serena Creary, who graduated with a bachelor of music degree from Oberlin in 2017, said there are talented Black people who could have been called upon to contribute. "We Black composer grads exist. Commission us," she said. That no one involved thought to question the optics of featuring photos of nonwhite performers was "shameful," said another poster, Raquel Roman-Rodriguez. "There are numerous incredible Black composers who received degrees from Oberlin. There are numerous Black performers who received degrees from Oberlin. There's just no excuse," she said. The post was deleted from the college's Facebook page Sunday night, along with the long list of comments lodging complaints. The flier was "problematic, and we accept and agree with the many critiques we have received in response," Oberlin College communication staff said in a statement Sunday night. It said the college was proud of its Black History Month events throughout February, which it called a reflection of Oberlin's commitment to the work of diversity and inclusion. "We acknowledge that it was a mistake to post this event out of context, and without pictures of the composers themselves, and we are deeply sorry," the statement said. "We will continue to be reflective and consider our policies moving forward in order to prevent a post of this nature from happening in the future." The apology included a link to a September 2020 release from Oberlin Conservatory faculty. It said faculty and staff were reflecting on how to take on systemic racism and inequity in the world of music and the arts. "We look to acknowledge and amplify the contributions, histories and achievements of Black musicians and members of other historically marginalized communities both past and present, not only at Oberlin, but around the globe," the September release said. "As musicians, we believe that music is a fundamental human right, and we look to do everything within our power to increase and ensure access to music and high-quality music education for all." The college said it is also looking inward at its curriculum, hiring practices and departmental climates as part of a presidential initiative on racial equality and diversity. "This work will reflect the times and the issues that George Floyd's murder invoked," the college said. "This work is now more critical than ever as we look both internally and externally." Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.