“I said, what could we do that is actually real, that would endure beyond the political moment of the present, realizing that we should have been engaging music of Black composers to a greater extent in the past and to works of other people of color in the past . And use our capabilities, our knowledge as music scholars to actually do something positive, that will enrich us, that will enrich our school, that will improve our education and hopefully reach out to the public with an educational message.” - Drew Davies, chair of Northwestern’s Department of Music Studies & associate professor of musicology, talking about the origins of the Black Composer Showcase.