FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The 2023 Black Music Symposium is underway at the University of Arkansas. It aims to educate and expose the community to the musical contributions of Black Americans.

Dr. Alexis Davis-Hazell, a professor at the University of Alabama, is speaking and performing this week. She says it is important to call attention to unsung voices.

“I like to talk about it as pearls on a necklace. The different styles of Black music and the different types of engagement that Black artists have with European styles of music,” Davis-Hazell said.

This year’s theme is “Lest Our Feet Stray” which celebrates the music genres that helped Black Americans during slavery, the Jim Crow South and the civil rights movement.

A full list of events can be found here.