Black America Today

The news shaping our communities nationwide.

Richard Smallwood, Grammy-nominated gospel singer, dies at 77

Richard Smallwood passed away on December 30, 2025, at the age of 77 due to complications from kidney failure. A public Celebration of Life is scheduled for Saturday, January 24, 2026, at the First Baptist Church of Glenarden International in Maryland. He is remembered by peers like Chaka Khan and Kirk Franklin as a "musical genius" who bridged the gap between the sanctuary and the concert hall.

Career Highlights & LegacySmallwood’s five-decade career left an indelible mark on both sacred and mainstream music:

Iconic Compositions: He wrote several "modern hymns," most notably "Total Praise,"which he composed during a period of personal sorrow. Other famous works include "Center of My Joy," "I Love the Lord" (recorded by Whitney Houston), and "Anthem of Praise".
Musical Groups: He formed the Richard Smallwood Singers in 1977, whose debut 1982 album spent 87 weeks on the Billboard Gospel charts. He later founded the ensemble Vision, producing hits like "Healing".
Accolades: An eight-time Grammy Award nominee, he received three Dove Awards, seven Stellar Awards, and was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2023, he received the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award from Joe Biden.

Biography

Early Life: Born in Atlanta and raised in Washington, D.C., he was a child prodigy who began playing piano at age five.
Education: He graduated cum laude from Howard University with degrees in vocal performance and piano. He later returned to Howard to earn a Master of Divinity in 2004.
Ministry: He was an ordained minister and served as the Artist-in-Residence at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Washington, D.C..

Prominent Tributes Artists like Chaka Khan described how his music transformed her and called him her favorite pianist, anticipating singing with him in heaven. Donald Lawrence called Smallwood a "musical genius" and a generous friend. Publicist Bill Carpenter highlighted Smallwood's dedication to creating music that resonated deeply with people. Rev. George L. Parks Jr. recalled Smallwood's blessings through his piano playing. Musical Legacy QuotesThe National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses recognized him as a "gospel music giant". His signature song, "Total Praise," was described as providing a way to express deep spiritual feelings. Many noted his historical impact as a "mold-breaker" who blended classical and Black gospel traditions. Smallwood himself expressed a desire for his songs to have lasting impact.

Civil Rights Leader Tribute

Statue of Black Teen Activist Replaces Robert E. Lee in U.S. Capitol

The statue of Barbara Rose Johns, an African American civil rights leader who led a student strike at her segregated Virginia high school in 1951, now stands in the U.S. Capitol. It replaces a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and honors her fight for equal education and lasting impact on American history.

According to CBS News, the unveiling in Emancipation Hall drew Virginia officials, members of Congress, and more than 200 of Johns’ relatives. The Eastern Senior High School choir performed songs like “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ’Round,” setting a celebratory tone for the historic moment.

At just 16, Johns led hundreds of her classmates at R.R. Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia, in a protest against poor school conditions. Their strike attracted NAACP lawyers, contributing to the Brown v. Board of Education case that ended school segregation in 1954.

The bronze statue shows Johns holding a worn book above her head beside a lectern. Its pedestal reads, “Are we going to just accept these conditions, or are we going to do something about it?” and includes the Biblical line, “And a little child shall lead them.” It symbolizes her courage and leadership at a young age.

The statue replaces the Robert E. Lee figure, which stood for 111 years before being removed in 2020 amid renewed attention to Confederate monuments. Virginia leaders said the change honors a true patriot who fought for justice rather than a figure tied to slavery.

Sculpted by Steven Weitzman, the statue now joins the National Statuary Hall Collection in the Capitol’s Crypt, representing Virginia alongside George Washington. Visitors can see it as part of a larger display of 35 statues across the Capitol, celebrating influential Americans.

After her activism, Johns became a librarian, raised five children, and continued to make a quiet impact until her death at 56. Her story is remembered at the Virginia Civil Rights Memorial, and her former high school is now a museum and National Historic Landmark.

Source: BlackNews

Black Soldiers

US removal of panels honoring Black soldiers at WWII cemetery in the Netherlands draws backlash

Ever since a U.S. military cemetery in the southern Netherlands removed two displays recognizing Black troops who helped to liberate Europe from the Nazis, visitors have filled the guestbook with objections.

Sometime in the spring, the American Battle Monuments Commission, the U.S. government agency responsible for maintaining memorial sites outside of the United States, removed the panels from the visitors center at the American Cemetery in Margraten, the final resting place for roughly 8,300 U.S. soldiers, set in rolling hills near the border with Belgium and Germany.

The move came after U.S. President Donald Trump issued a series of executive orders ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs. “Our country will be woke no longer,” Trump said in an address to Congress in March.

The removal, carried out without public explanation, has angered Dutch officials, the families of U.S. soldiers and the local residents who honor the American sacrifice by caring for the graves.

U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands Joe Popolo seemed to support the removal of the displays. “The signs at Margraten are not intended to promote an agenda that criticizes America,” he wrote on social media following a visit to the cemetery after the controversy had erupted. Popolo declined a request for comment.

The displays highlighted the sacrifices of Black Americans

One display told the story of 23-year-old George H. Pruitt, a Black soldier buried at the cemetery, who died attempting to rescue a comrade from drowning in 1945. The other described the U.S. policy of racial segregation in place during World War II.

Some 1 million Black soldiers enlisted in the U.S. military during the war, serving in separate units, mostly doing menial tasks but also fighting in some combat missions. An all-Black unit dug the thousands of graves in Margraten during the brutal 1944-45 season of famine in the German-occupied Netherlands known in the Hunger Winter.

Cor Linssen, the 79-year-old son of a Black American soldier and a Dutch mother, is one of those who opposes the removal of the panels.

Linssen grew up some 30 miles (50 kilometers) away from the cemetery and although he didn’t learn who his father was until later in life, he knew he was the son of a Black soldier.

Source: AP