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Fitzgerald, who died in 1996, tended to let her guard down a little with reporters from the Baltimore Afro-American, the Pittsburgh Courier and other Black publications that thrived through much of the century.

At that gathering, leaders established the National Federation of Afro-American Women.

The 1980 “Afro-American Abstraction” show, a breakthrough for many of its artists, came about somewhat by accident, Mr. Little told The Commercial Appeal of Memphis in 1983, when it toured there.

William Grant Still’s “Afro-American Symphony,” second on the program, was a slow, blues-inspired piece that showcased beautiful solos with a touch of a mournful tone from each instrument.

I always felt that the civil rights movement started as soon as there was an Afro-American in the United States.