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Category: African American History

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Researcher Spotlight: Jeannette Estruth

Posted by: Kate Stewart

The following is a Q & A with one of our long-term researchers, Jeannette Estruth. KS: Hi Jeannette! Tell us a little about your background and why you came to the Library of Congress and the American Folklife Center. JE: Hi Kate, thanks so much for inviting me to take part in the American Folklife …

Posted in: AFC Reading Room Visitors, African American History, African Americans, Civil Rights, Civil Rights History Project, Freedom Struggle, Oral History

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Tracing the Long Journey of “We Shall Overcome”

Posted by: Kate Stewart

Although folksingers Pete Seeger, Guy Carawan, and Frank Hamilton registered copyright on “We Shall Overcome” in 1960, the song has a long and fascinating history with contributions from many activist-singers. We can trace it back to two separate songs from over a hundred years ago, the lyrics from “I’ll Overcome Some Day” written by the …

Posted in: African American History, Civil Rights, Civil Rights History Project, Folk Music, Oral History, Pete Seeger