“From Tragedy to Triumph” was an interactive, student-led series about the African diaspora told through discussion, film, dance, and music. The seven-part series was broadcast on Thornton/LIVE through the spring of 2021, culminating in a series finale on May 21st.
From Tragedy to Triumph Part 1:
“The Middle Passage: Between Home and Death”
“Let me tell you about this middle space – somewhere between home and death.” From Tragedy to Triumph presents an evening of conversation and art about the Middle Passage (approx. 1525-1866) and the melding of the past and the present, the reality of dehumanization and evil, and the sounds and smells that are inseparable from the soul during this journey. The first installment in a seven-part series tells the story of this time in history through discussion, spoken word, narration, dance, and music featuring traditional Sinte drumming and music by celebrated composer Florence Price. The event closes with a Q&A session with the artists and performers led by USC Thornton professor Ron McCurdy.
This event originally aired on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021.
From Tragedy to Triumph Part 2:
“The Spirit of My Home”
From Tragedy to Triumph presents “The Spirit of My Home,” an evening of conversation and art about the religious conversion of enslaved Africans to Christianity during the 17th Century. Part two of a seven-part series, this multi-generational story of spirituality and ancestral knowledge is told through a blend of animation, film and narration. The event will close with a Q&A session with the artists and performers led by USC Thornton professor Ron McCurdy.
This event originally aired on Friday, March 12, 2021.
From Tragedy to Triumph Part 3:
“White: You Strike. You Strip. You Steal.”
Through animation, poetic interpretation and narration, the third installment of From Tragedy to Triumph presents “White: You Strike. You Strip. You Steal,” a multidisciplinary work of historical fiction about the harrowing cycle of family separation and the dehumanization of Black bodies during the Antebellum South (1783–1861). The event will open with a discussion with its creators and close with a Q&A session with the artists and performers led by USC Thornton professor Ron McCurdy.
This event originally aired on Friday, March 26, 2021.
From Tragedy to Triumph Part 4:
“Emancipation Jubilee”
From Tragedy to Triumph presents a discussion and screening of a documentary about the events leading up to the Civil War, Emancipation, and the Reconstruction era. Part four of a seven-part series, the documentary will explore the influence of this period on today’s political climate utilizing poetry, dance and music. The event will close with a Q&A session with the artists and performers and USC Thornton professor Ron McCurdy.
This event originally aired on Friday, April 9, 2021.
From Tragedy to Triumph Part 5:
“Surviving Jim Crow: The Healing Power of Music”
The fifth installment of From Tragedy to Triumph tells the story of the systemic violence of the Jim Crow Era (1880–1945) through the imagined portrait of Jack Smith, a fictional character representing the plight of millions of African Americans during this dark chapter of U.S. history. The fictional film tells the story of one man’s life under Jim Crow as he develops a love for jazz to help him survive the racism he experiences. The event will include a discussion and Q&A session with the film’s creators led by USC Thornton professor Ron McCurdy.
This event originally aired on Friday, April 23, 2021.
From Tragedy to Triumph Part 6:
“The Civil Rights Movement: Snapshots of Everyday Life”
“The Civil Rights Movement: Snapshots of Everyday Life” presents an oral history of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and 70s, framing the daily experiences of living through this era of social justice and activism. The sixth part of this seven-part series features topics ranging from the war in Vietnam to housing discrimination and representation in the performing arts, with personal reflections and an expressive blend of jazz and archival footage. The event will include a discussion and Q&A session with the film’s creators led by USC Thornton professor Ron McCurdy.
This event originally aired on Friday, May 7, 2021.
From Tragedy to Triumph Part 7:
“Black Lives Matter”
In the finale of this seven-part series, From Tragedy to Triumph presents an evening of art and performance that will amplify the embodied histories of Black women across different eras of U.S. history. Spanning centuries of the Black experience in America, the event will feature spoken word, dramatizations, choreography and music about the struggle for equality and justice. The event is accompanied by a Q&A session with the artists and performers led by USC Thornton professor Ron McCurdy.
This event originally aired on Friday, May 21, 2021.