Lizzo, a Black female superstar, collaborating with Carla Hayden, the first African American and first woman Librarian of Congress, to use a flute from James Madison, the Founding Father who originated the 3/5 Compromise and also the Library of Congress itself? The symbolism!!! https://t.co/n5AQsjJwKH
— Tiffany C. Li (@tiffanycli) September 28, 2022
Lizzo’s a classically trained flutist, stop panicking, haterz.
And, while I doubt this is a scenario Jemmy Madison could’ve imagined, I doubt that the man who married comely widow Dolley Payne Todd would’ve been horrified by Lizzo!
A fun detail in the LOC’s press release about Lizzo’s visit: The instruments kept in the library are MEANT to be played from time to time!
— Chelsea Cirruzzo (@ChelseaCirruzzo) September 28, 2022
For many reasons, this event would not have been what James Madison or many of his contemporaries would have wished for or expected from the future. But this is the future now. We can make the future what we want it to be—more vibrant, more just, more equitable, more free.
— Tiffany C. Li (@tiffanycli) September 28, 2022
Wednesday Evening Open Thread: History ProgressingPost + Comments (104)