When award-winning writer Maya Angelou penned the poem "Phenomenal Woman," she probably was envisioning the likes of Bernice Johnson Reagon. Currently a distinguished professor of history at American University, Reagon is a scholar, composer, singer and activist. She also continues to perform with Sweet Honey in the Rock, the world-renowned a cappella ensemble that she founded in 1973.

In celebration of Women’s History Month at DePaul University, the multi-faceted Reagon will lecture on "Singing Fighters: My Black Mothers and Sisters" March 4 at 7 p.m. in Schmitt Academic Center, 2320 N. Kenmore Ave., Room 154. The lecture is free and open to the public.

"In this presentation, I locate the genesis of my work as a singer for justice in the lives and works of several women from the 19^th and 20^th centuries who were fighters and organizers for justice, and who used their voices in the struggle for justice," explained Reagon.

An original member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee Freedom Singers, Reagon’s commanding voice and spirit were showcased in the 1992 Emmy-nominated "The Songs are Free: Bernice Johnson Reagon with Bill Moyers," a 60-minute production of the Public Broadcasting System (PBS).

She has served as music consultant, composer and performer for several film and video projects including the award-winning "Eyes on the Prize," the Emmy-winning "We Shall Overcome," "Roots of Resistance: A Story of the Underground Railroad" and "Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History," all of which aired on PBS.

Reagon is a recipient of the Presidential Medal and the Charles E. Frankel Prize for outstanding contribution to public understanding of the humanities. Most recently, she was cited with the Isadore Duncan award for her creation of the score to "Rock," a ballet directed by Alonzo King for LINES Contemporary Ballet Company.

As curator emerita at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, Reagon served as principal scholar, conceptual producer and host of the Smithsonian Institution and National Public Radio series "Wade in the Water: African American Sacred Music Traditions," which won a Peabody Award and began broadcasting in 1994.

Reagon’s book credits include "We Who Believe in Freedom: Sweet Honey in the Rock-Still On the Journey" (Anchor Books, 1993), "We’ll Understand it Better By and By: Pioneering African American Gospel Composers" (Smithsonian Press, 1992).

Among her many recordings are "Give Your Hands to Struggle" (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 1997) and "River of Life" (Flying Fish, 1986). Sweet Honey in the Rock recordings which Reagon produced and performed include "Sacred Ground" (1995), "Still on the Journey" (1993), "In This Land" (1992), all on Earthbeat! Records. DePaul’s Cultural and Culture and History of Black Diaspora centers, Women’s Studies Program, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Quality of Instruction Council are sponsors of this program. There is no reserved seating for the lecture. For more information, contact Women’s Studies, 773/325-4500.