Dougherty County, Georgia (October 4, 1942 -July 16, 2024) 81 yrs

Bernice Johnson Reagon was an American song leader, composer, historian, and civil rights activist who used African American sacred and protest music as a tool for justice. A founding member of the SNCC Freedom Singers, she created the cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock, blending activism with artistry. As a Smithsonian curator and scholar, she documented and preserved Black musical traditions through projects like the award‑winning Wade in the Water. Given her long history of dedication to social justice and protest through song, Reagon has no shortage of achievements. She has written several of her own albums, academic and historical books, and documentaries. Though she created many albums with Sweet Honey in the Rock, she has produced various albums independent of the ensemble, most notably, Folk Songs: The South (1965), Give Your Hands to Struggle: The Evolution of A Freedom Fighter (1975) and River of Life (1986).