Teach Truth Book Club: Silencing the Drum by Danielle N. Boaz & Umi Vaughan

Join us November 4th at 6:00pm for Teach Truth Book Club! Organized by Hannah Henry, founder of Teach Truth California, each month the Teach Truth Book Club features an ethnic studies expert who will lead the discussion around a specific title and topic. Special guest this month: Umi Vaughn. This is a free event, but we appreciate your RSVP at the registration link below so we can plan for your attendance.

Thank you for registering for this free event. Your RSVP helps us plan for your attendance. We look forward to welcoming you!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Silencing the Drum exposes the profound struggle of Afro-Brazilian sacred music against escalating intolerance. Danielle N. Boaz and Umi Vaughan blend legal scholarship with ethnomusicology, offering a compelling narrative rooted in interviews with religious leaders, musicians, and activists across Brazil. This multidisciplinary exploration examines the relentless attacks against the practitioners of Afro-Brazilian religions—from discriminatory noise complaints in Bahia to vigilante violence in Rio de Janeiro.

The volume integrates multimedia elements including musical samples to vividly illustrate the struggles and resilience of Afro-Brazilian communities in the face of discrimination. As Silencing the Drum confronts the larger global issues of racism and religious freedom, it provides essential insights for scholars, activists, and anyone passionate about human rights and cultural preservation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Danielle N. Boaz is associate professor of Africana studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte focusing on human rights, social justice, and the law. She is the author of Banning Black Gods: Law and Religions of the African Diaspora and Voodoo: The History of a Racial Slur. She runs www.religiousracism.org, which provides information about discrimination and violence against African diaspora religions in Brazil.
Umi Vaughan is an independent scholar and musician. He has taught at California State University Monterey Bay. He is the author of Carlos Aldama’s Life in Batá: Cuba, Diaspora, and the Drum (Indiana University Press) and Rebel Dance, Renegade Stance: Timba Music and Black Identity in Cuba (University of Michigan Press).

Host or Publisher Napa Bookmine