In partnership with Columbia College Chicago, award-winning actress, director and playwright Regina Taylor is curating presentations and events – student and artist lead work – that promote nationwide conversations that explore identity, technology, social justice, and creativity in these fast-shifting times.
The theme of the Black Album Mixtape is “Stand Up, Speak Out.” Ms. Taylor articulates the key themes and questions by asking, “Who are we at this moment in time? What are the key questions that we need to talk about?” “We are neck deep” in challenges to the long-term viability of democracy in the US, facing existential questions about guns and violence, gender and identity, who has a platform to speak and whose voice is erased. “Stand Up, Speak Out” is meant to facilitate conversation and creative response to these questions and more.
Projects may include, but are not limited to: film, animation, songs, dance, spoken word, podcasts, pictures, articles, etc. from artists to gamers, to policy makers and scholars. You may submit as many works as you like, but it is recommended that works be no longer than 8 minutes in duration. Works must not infringe upon copyrighted work by others - though original performances of cover songs will be considered.
Submissions for the 2024 Black Album Mixtape are now closed.
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Be Thankful For What You Got
Joseph Cerqua
The R&B Ensemble: Showcase
Cassandra O’Neal - Director
Be Thankful For What You Got- Curtis Mayfield/
Lucky Daye
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Vocals-
Kacie Brown
Rani Bynum
Danielle Crim
Bea Fuadin
Belmaris Garcia Gomez
Sabrina George
Celeste Guman
Elijah Jagours
Instrumentalists -
Isaac Meier - keys
Marcel Lockhart - drums
Jayson Verrett - guitar
Tim Wenzl – bass
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Dragonfly - The New Music Ensemble
Joseph Cerqua
The New Music Ensemble
Dragonfly - Aliana Chambliss
Sebastián Huydts — Director
Donial Afshar—Electric Guitar
Monty Anderson—Melodica
Evy Avila—Alto Saxophone
Connor Bohn—Clarinet
Aliana Chambliss—Synths/Vocals
Val Daleske—French Horn
Ayu Eini—Violin
Jake Gearhart—Viola
Jeremiah Groff—Violoncello
Zijun He- Piano
Joseph Kedzuch—Trumpet
Aidan Kelly- Violoncello
Holden Magee- Trumpet
Fernando Montoya- Trombone/Tuba
Henry Parmenter—Violin
Katelin Reinert—Melodica
Nico Santa Ana- Electric Bass
Niclas Schroeder—Percussion/Timpani
Sebastian Splinter—Melodica (GA)
Joshua Trimarco—Violoncello
Connor Koppa—Trumpet
Meihui Piao—Contrabass
Brea West— Flute/Alto Saxophone
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For Eunice - Bread On Fork
Joseph Cerqua
For Eunice - Bread On Fork
Director: Typhanie Coller & Nick Tremulis
Members:
- Bea Fuadin - Vocals
- Mary James - Vocals
- Stephen Ryan - Guitar
- Matt McGrath - Bass
- Sam Nesin - Guitar
- William Penne - Drums
- James Gotshall - Producer
Song Title: For Eunice
Composer: Bread On Fork
Lyrics: Mary James
Statement:
I wrote this song after I watched a documentary about Nina Simone. I learned that Nina’s name at birth was Eunice Waymon. I was inspired by all of the injustices of 2020 and how I felt like I was Eunice. I saw what was going on, I was scared about what that meant for me, and my black experience and I immediately went to jump to action and didn’t allow myself to grieve. If Eunice had been given permission to cry and be vulnerable, her life may have been less tumultuous, and her activism may have not come at the cost of her mental health. If someone had just given me permission to cry and be vulnerable sometimes, I would be better now. This is a love song not only to Eunice but to little black girls everywhere. This song tells them that with all of the pain and sadness going on in the world, they don’t have to be so strong all the time. Eunice should have been allowed to cry, I should have been allowed to cry, they are allowed to cry. - Mary James
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Imagine
Joseph Cerqua
The American Roots Ensemble
Director: Nicholas Tremulis
Imagine – John Lennon
Khalif Alston-drums, keyboards Spencer Ball-vocals Nicholas Basken-keyboards Oliver Bishop-guitar Abbey Ellerglick-vocals Claire Hanam-vocals Holden Magee-vocals, trumpet Kyle Powers-vocal Ethan Reinbach-vocals,drums Libby Rousseau-bass Zach Steele-guitar Matthew Swetnam-keyboards
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Nina Cried Power
Joseph Cerqua
The Pop Rock Ensemble: Showcase
Director: Nicholas Tremulis
Nina Cried Power
Kacie Brown-vocals Jeremy Donofrio-bass Claire Featherston-vocals Hank Garrett-guitar Anna Henson-vocals Aaron Jachim-vocals Amos Koyama-guitar Bradford Michela-Vocals William Penne-drums Shefali Sharma-vocals Ryan Winters-vocals Yuxin Zhang-keyboards
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Optimistic
Joseph Cerqua
Gospel Band
Ensemble Director:
Cassandra O’Neal
Optimistic
Lead vocals:
Alicia Chestang
Danielle Crim
Vocals:
Skyla Blumenscheid
Rani Bynum
Joshua Emmanuel
Mal Freyvogel
Mauricio Guerrero
Caleb Hester
Lekayla Hill
Huiyao Huo
Brynne London
Micah Mixon
Eunkyung Kim
Band:
Khalif Alston- keys
Hyeong Woo Jung- guitar
Marcel Lockhart- drums
Tim Wenzl- bass
Marcellus Williams- keys
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Ritmo Color Y Sabor
Joseph Cerqua
The Latin Ensemble
Donald Neale, Director
Ritmo Color y Sabor – Eva Aylion
Isabella Anabalon – Vocals
Ivy- Jolie Camacho
Juliana Canuta – Keyboard and Vocals
Belmaris Garcia- Gomez – Vocals
Cameron Henry - Percussion
Samantha Herrera - Vocals
Matthew Higueros – Percussion
Christopher Ihrig - Guitar
Fernando Montoya - Trombone
Nicole Nicolalde – Vocals
Carlos Perales - Percussion
Ramon Rodriguez – Trombone and Vocals
Miles Wilson - Trumpet
Michael Wlodek – Percussion
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Sugar Crash - The Fog
Joseph Cerqua
RPE group 1 - Sugar Crash – The Fog
Director- M.s Coller and Nick Tremulis
Students and instrumentation
Shefali Sharma vocals
Joy Ciancanelli vocals
Amos Koyama- guitar and bass
Jackson Lee-guitar
Khalif Alston – drums
Yuxin Zhang-piano
Song title- Fog
Composer- Sugar Crash
Statement- Fog Is about self-identity and expression, finding out who you are and not letting others stop you.
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The Motions by Liptoss
Joseph Cerqua
Recording & Performance Ensemble – Liptoss
The Motions
Director: Typhanie Coller and Nick Tremulis
Students: Ashlyn Sisco - Vocals
Anna Henson - Vocals
Jeremy Donofrio - Guitar
Jake Denny - Guitar
Tim Wenzl - Bass
Matthew Swetnam - Piano
Mark Berg - Keyboard
Elliot Colegrove - Drums
Composer: Liptoss
Statement: The Motions is a piece that Liptoss collaborated on to make a statement on mental health in our society and amongst our peers. Because of the current state of our world and our desire to keep up, we find ourselves constantly falling behind; going through the motions. We hope this song provides its listeners with a sense of togetherness and unity within the chaos of society.
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WAKE UP EVERYBODY
Joseph Cerqua
Wake Up Everybody
Composers:
Gene Mcfadden
John Whitehead
Victor Leon Carstarphen
Arranger:
Cassandra O’Neal
This song is an appeal for people to wake up, engage, and make a difference. The lyrics talk about hatred, war, and poverty, challenges that have been with us since the beginning of time.
Hip Hop Ensemble:
Vocals:
Mal Freyvogel
Ken Howard
Mary James
Shreemayee Ramesh
Sage Roffman
Janae Spradley
Meagan St.Aubain
MCs:
Cyruson Cho
Andres Rios
Band:
lan Bradford - guitar
Marcel Lockhart - drums
Benjamin Pease - guitar
Riley Woods - bass
Yuxin Zhan - keyboards
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Little Dreamer
Lauren Hogan
A recent high school grad spends her last day before moving miles from home rekindling the dreams of her childhood through the magic of a cherished astronaut helmet.
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The Pain Resurfaced
Lake Forest College and Andy Kongolo
Information about myself:
My name is Andy Kongolo and I’m 22 years old. I’m a junior at Bennington College and I study Acting. I make music as a hobby and I hope to turn it into a full time job.
Abstract:
I wrote this poem when I was going through a difficult time in my life. That moment forced me to reconsider some of the choices I had made for my life and how they were affecting me. One of them was my absolute denial to see a therapist because I thought it was for the weak and broken and I didn’t want to think of myself as that. It was a tough process of letting go of certain ideas of myself and of the world that I was holding because I thought holding those positions made me congruent with my identity. But deep down, I wasn’t sure what my identity was. I was searching and searching in order to find myself. After going through that, I know that my experience is not unique. A lot of people go through what I have gone through, but it’s often not talked about. I was lucky enough to ‘heal’ myself through music and long periods of self-reflection and brutal honesty towards myself, but I know for many that’s not the case. Especially as a young black man coming all the way from Africa. I think it’s important to raise awareness around mental health for everyone. For people of every race and every gender. We all struggle in some ways and telling stories of people who struggle with it makes it an open topic and encourages people to be upfront about it.
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When Language Fails: A Critical Analysis Essay of Kathryn Stockett’s The Help:
Evan McCreary
A critical analysis essay of Kathryn Stockett's New York Times Bestselling book, The Help, and it's subsequent film adaptation, and how in recent years, particularly following the murder of George Floyd, the story has been used as a classroom tool for teaching students about racism and its effects. Written by a Black student in a primarily white school community, this essay was written as an antithesis to the ideology that the book and movie exceed their intended intentions of being a beneficial teaching tool to youth.
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"The Nature of Progress"
Ted Roth
This work explores my experience living through the current political atmosphere as a butch lesbian. For my entire life, queer politics have been debated and scrutinized whenever and wherever possible. Gay marriage was only legalized nine years ago, and it continues to be a relevant issue in American politics--alongside debates over transgender rights and queerness in media. Cultural acceptance and social justice do not happen overnight for any marginalized group. This piece explores what a changing culture looks like in the day-to-day life of someone affected by it. The piece also explores themes of community, feminism, beauty standards, and social justice as a whole.
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2 Faces
Mecca Winston
The two sculpture pieces are both mask. With these mask they are to highlight different features of things and people around the globe. Taking inspiration from the many faces we see throughout the day and recreating the features into something that can be looked it and admired is the overall goal of these two mask. They are only the beginning part of this on going series.
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I Gave You Power
CJ Young
I Gave You Power is a song. It’s a song about A story told in the persoective of a firearm. The pros and cons of it, more of the latter than the former, the destruction it can form against the person in front of it and the person behind it as well. Also, the story tells about how much of a cycle it is in which firearms destroy our communities.
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"Its Sad to Say"
Uri Blunt
This piece is a self produced hip hop music video revolving around the perspective of me, being a young African American male in Chicago, and also in college.I stress the topics of police brutality, injustice, lack of women rights, racism, unity, evolution, A.I etc, etc. This piece is like a travel through my mind as you hear me jump from topic to topic expressing my internal feelings about the world. In my lyrics I question the many obstacles we go through on the daily basis, and how its hard to navigate through it, but we as creators can push for evolution through positive vibrations on the planet. We can share this through our media’s of photography, music, writing, and so forth.
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Mental Health on College Campus' feat. Regina Taylor
Susan Imus and Regina Taylor
Professor Susan Imus & her class are joined by Regina Taylor to ask the question, "What are the issues and remedies in self care and support?".
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To Go Home
Julian Menendez
After this moment, dreaming of tomorrow…
Dreaming of tomorrow is nice, but first I’ll have to get through today. That’s what I’ll be doing, every day until the end of my spring semester here in Chicago. I’ve been away from a light in my life for a long, long time. I have been around the ocean since I was very young. Its presence has been solid throughout my life. When I learned to surf, that connection only grew more. Now, I’m pushing on four years since I would regularly go to the ocean to surf, swim, or just be there. Parts of that are out of my control of-course. Lake Michigan isn’t quite the Pacific. Though, I did choose to come here. In this video, I surf at my home break again. Where I learned, made mistakes, got better, and worse again. Through this project I aim to show the bittersweet reconnection of a lost passion and identity. To go home.
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Post Hip Hop Dance: Then, Now, and Beyond
Malika Okot
Post Hip Hop Dance: Then, Now and Beyond is a podcast hosted by Malika "Myka" Okot that explores her original theory post hip hop dance, which looks at the past, present and future of hip hop dance to look at where it's been and where it is going. This interview based podcast is a time capsule, documenting peoples experiences and journey's with the culture and community of hip hop and street dance. The term post hip hop is not to say hip hop has ended or stopped but goes beyond what it started as, and is a way to view how foundations live in the hip hop dance of today and beyond.
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The Black Bone China Dinner - Food for Thought
Rami Pemon, Regina Taylor, Curtis Lawrence, Bobby Wilson, Amina Norman-Hawkins, Lamont Robinson, and Marcella David
Rami Pemon moderates a discussion from notable African-American leaders in the city of Chicago to share their opinions on what has changed and what hasn’t changed. Asking the question, “What are old and new strategies for creating new paths towards freedom?"
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Harmony Blooms by Becky Raisman and Matt Robinson
Becky Raisman
Intro: G G
Verse 1: G C G G As the world keeps turning, let our voices be heard In concert with Mother Earth, our message will be stirred Em C G G With every beat of our drums, and strum of our guitars Em C D D Hippies, let's spread love and peace, near and far!
Chorus: C D G Em Harmony blooms in a tapestry of love Peace is our anthem, flying high as doves We dance upon the meadows, wild and free C D Hippies, let your spirits soar, with serenity
Verse 2: G C G G Embracing nature's beauty, we find solace in her grace With daisies in our hair, we paint a world with vibrant hues to chase Em C G G Our souls are intertwined, connected by a universal flow Em C G D (ALTERNATE ENDING TO THE VERSE TO SEE IF YOU LIKE THIS BETTER) Free spirits forever, planting seeds for change to grow
Chorus: Harmony blooms in a tapestry of love Peace is our anthem, flying high as doves We dance upon the meadows, wild and free Hippies, let your spirits soar, with serenity
Bridge (sure this isn't a verse?): We are warriors of love, carrying peace as our shield Through the battles of prejudice, we'll never yield With open hearts and open minds, we bridge the gaps that divide In this realm of togetherness, love will always thrive
Chorus: Harmony blooms in a tapestry of love Peace is our anthem, flying high as doves We dance upon the meadows, wild and free Hippies, let your spirits soar, with serenity
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ALL of the places YOU kissed ME before YOU kissed HER
Eva Tatarko
This series of nine images depicts various sections of body that were once kissed by a lover. At a glance, the photos depict the general deterioration of love; however, when paired with the title, it becomes clear that the piece focuses on a betrayal. Whether that be cheating or another form of disloyalty, the lover has moved on to a new person to some capacity, and these sections of body are now cold and unloved. While anyone can experience a betrayal of love, it is women who are often mistreated and used for their bodies. By displaying my own body, I place myself in the shoes of all other women who have had to experience the grief of being exploited.
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I pledge allegiance
kayla gilmore
Spoken word poem about the injustice that is and was faced by black Americans in the midst of police violence and what it really means to pledge ourselves to a flag that doesn’t pledge itself to us.
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“I Can’t Erase This” - Kai Warrior
Kai Warrior
I wrote this about my experience with colorism for my True New Mexico self portrait project. It is an about how colorism has pushed me to be meek and I’ve agreed It is about my Blackness and my childhood and my family and everything that becomes intertwined with those 3 things.
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Young Adult
Kalil Sims
A young man unravels his uneasiness with his uncertain future through means of self-interrogation.
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Black Apples
Alexandra Dumas
”Black Apples” is a sonnet following the original stipulations of a classic Shakespearean sonnet. Please be advised, explicit vernacular is used to maintain the truthfulness and authenticity of the subject nature regarding this topic.
Thank you for your time, and consideration.
Alexandra Dumas
