Black History

Florence Beatrice Price: A First in Classical Music

In 1903, Price attended the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. Knowing that race was a barrier for entry, she presented herself as being of Mexican descent. In three years, she earned a soloist’s diploma in organ and a teacher’s diploma in piano.

Published

5 years ago

June 25, 2021

Christy Price

Florence Beatrice Price/ International Florence Price Festival

Eleven years into the Jim Crow laws, Florence B. Price (1888–1953) was born into a middle-class family in Little Rock, Ark. It was a time when anyone of African descent in North America, no matter their successes, was viewed as part of the under-class.
Price’s mother was a music teacher, owned and ran a restaurant, worked in real estate, and served as secretary of the International Loan and Trust Company.

Her father was an artist, a notable dentist, and inventor of patented dental tools.
The family was considered among the ‘10 percenters,’ meaning people who benefited from a classical education and had the potential to lead American society.

They were known to host gatherings of the Black intelligentsia. Young Florence entertained those guests on the piano, a skill taught by her mother.
In 1903, Price attended the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. Knowing that race was a barrier for entry, she presented herself as being of Mexican descent. In three years, she earned a soloist’s diploma in organ and a teacher’s diploma in piano.
Encouraged to compose, Florence studied composition and counterpoint. Her early works included pieces for piano and organ. She later returned to the South, teaching at the Arkadelphia Presbyterian Academy and later at Little Rock’s Shorter College. She became head of the music department at Clark University in Atlanta (1910–1912), and then returned to Little Rock.
Despite her qualifications, Price was denied membership to the Arkansas State Music Teachers Association. Refusing to give up, she established her own music studio and founded the Little Rock Club of Musicians.

At that time, racial tension in Little Rock was escalating. The numbers of Black men being beaten and lynched were on the rise. Price and her husband fled to Chicago for their safety.
The Prices divorced in 1931, leaving Florence a single mother. She then played the organ for silent film screenings and wrote popular songs for WGN radio. She forged friendships with like-minded musicians and artists and continued her composition studies. Eventually, Price’s concert music came to the attention of one of her teachers, which led to her big break in 1932.
Price won several prizes at the Wanamaker Music Composition Contest. These successes attracted the attention of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s music director, who, soon after, conducted a performance of Price’s First Symphony (1933).

At that moment, she became established as a composer of note and the first Black woman in American history to have a symphonic work performed by a major American orchestra.
“It is a faultless work, a work that speaks its own message with restraint and yet with passion … worthy of a place in the regular symphonic repertory,” the Chicago Daily News reported.
Despite her success, Price struggled, surviving mostly on the kindness of friends. She suffered from poor health and was often hospitalized. By 1953, her work was gaining a new momentum. While preparing for a promotion trip to Europe, she suffered a heart attack and died.

Christy Price

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Oakland Post: Week of May 6 – 12, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of may 6 – 12, 2026

Published

3 days ago

May 10, 2026

Oakland Post

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Activism

On the Frontlines of Hate: NAACP Links Victims to Critical Support

The NAACP CA/HI has a long and well-established record of supporting victims of discrimination and hate crimes — providing critical referrals and, when necessary, direct assistance through legal advocacy and other forms of support. Beyond responding to incidents, the organization continues to advocate on broader civil rights issues, including voting rights and legal protections. It has also worked to counter efforts at the state and federal levels that could weaken the voting power of communities of color.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 1, 2026

Oakland Post

NAACP members at a recent advocacy day in Sacramento urging lawmakers to protect voting rights. Photo courtesy of California Black Media.

By Joe Kocurek
California Black Media

The California/Hawaii State Conference of the NAACP (CA/HI NAACP) has expanded its efforts to respond to rising hate incidents and civil rights complaints across California, supported in part by funding from California’s Stop the Hate Program

Through that grant, NAACP CA/HI has strengthened its ability to connect individuals experiencing hate or discrimination with critical resources. This includes referring those who file complaints to the CA vs Hate hotline, a statewide, non-emergency hate crime and incident reporting hotline and online portal created to help counter a more than 50% increase in reported hate crimes in California between 2020 and 2024. The system helps ensure incidents are documented, and victims are guided toward appropriate support.

LaJuana Bivens says the work of NAACP is as urgent as ever. Photo by Regina Wilson, California Black Media.

LaJuana Bivens, who has served in a number of roles within the NAACP, said California has seen an increase in civil rights violations and hate-related incidents.

“We have 52 branches, and they are constantly receiving complaints,” she said. “So, without the Stop the Hate, we would not be able to refer those cases up to attorneys at the state level. A lot of the people would not have had an opportunity to be heard.”

Carmen-Nicole Cox helps survivors of hate with their legal options. Photo courtesy of Carmen-Nicole Cox.

Carmen-Nicole Cox, an attorney who works with NAACP CA/HI – as a part of California’s Stop the Hate Program – provides legal consultation to victims of hate incidents and discrimination through her legal practice, the Cox Firm for Law and Policy.

She said the complaints she receives span a wide range of issues.

“People are having home builders and landlords refusing to provide repairs, a student was denied promotion in an academic program, and targeted scrutiny at work,” she said. “It’s typically employment; it’s housing; it’s education.

“We’ll meet and they’ll share their experiences,” she said. “And then I make assessments about possible legal claims.”

According to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), nearly 1,200 reports of hate against minority groups were submitted in 2024 through the CA vs Hate hotline and online portal for non-emergency incidents.

While the California/Hawaii State Conference of the NAACP, which has tens of thousands of members, does not directly investigate hate incidents or crimes, it plays a key role in connecting victims to the state’s reporting systems and support services.

Beyond responding to incidents, the organization continues to advocate on broader civil rights issues, including voting rights and legal protections. It has also worked to counter efforts at the state and federal levels that could weaken the voting power of communities of color.

Bivens recently traveled to Sacramento to speak with state lawmakers about voting rights during an advocacy day event hosted by the organization.

“It’s just so hard for communities of color to be up to date because of all of the confusing information coming from the federal level,” she said. “I love our great state of California because here it is possible to vote by mail and to vote early.

“And I’m seeing that trying to be eroded. So, I’m here to urge continued support for vote by mail and early voting.”

When Texas moved to redraw congressional districts in ways critics said would dilute minority voting strength, NAACP CA/HI supported the passage of Proposition 50 in California. The organization also intervened in United States v. Shirley Weber, where federal officials sought access to unredacted California voter records, including Social Security numbers, raising concerns about misuse and voter intimidation.

Cultivating the advocacy and leaderships of young people is central to NAACP’s mission to fight racism and dismantle inequality. Photo courtesy of California Black Media.

A federal district court dismissed that case in January 2026.

The organization’s current work builds on a long history of civil rights advocacy. Today, Bivens says, the organization’s mission remains as urgent as ever.

“We are the oldest, boldest, most feared Civil Rights organization,” Bivens said. “What we do every day is fight for better housing, education, economic development and political inclusion. We take it on because there are just so many people who need that support.

“You would be amazed that our phones ring every single day.”

Get Support After Hate:

California vs Hate is a non-emergency, multilingual hotline and online portal offering confidential support for hate crimes and incidents. Victims and witnesses can get help anonymously by calling 833-8-NO-HATE (833-866-4283), Monday to Friday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. PT, or online at any time. Anonymous. Confidential. No Police. No ICE.

This story was produced in partnership with CA vs Hate. Join them for the first-ever CA Civil Rights Summit on May 11. More information at www.cavshate.org/summit.

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