Music has been woven into the African American violent and non-violent experience through the generations as a way of coping, adjusting, and embracing hope. Shannon King once wrote, “Emmett Till was my George Floyd. He was my Rayshard Brooks, Sandra Bland, and Breonna Taylor.” This panel will explore the musical influences and their social impact yesterday and today during the most explosive times of violence and non-violence in America. Produced by the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts (CAAPA), in partnership with the ASALH Association for the Study of African American Life and History, the panel features a music historian, social scientist, and musician, along with a noted moderator to help highlight ASALH’s national 2023 theme of Blacks and Non-Violence.