News & Analysis

Overby Student Workers 8/19/26 Overby Student Workers 8/19/26

In the midst of a haunted past, Memphis has sacred, transformative places

Robert F. Darden, professor emeritus in Journalism at Baylor University and a member of the Overby Center panel of experts, discusses the sacred, transcendent spaces of Memphis’ past. Darden explored the sites, which include the East Trigg Baptist Church, the original headquarters of the Church of God in Christ denomination, and the Lorraine Hotel.

Overby Student Workers 6/4/26 Overby Student Workers 6/4/26

Serving, and singing, in the Black gospel tradition may be patriotism of the highest order

Robert F. Darden, a professor emeritus in Journalism at Baylor University and a member of the Overby Center panel of experts, writes about the complex relationship between 4th of July-styled patriotism and Black gospel music.

Overby Student Workers 10/31/25 Overby Student Workers 10/31/25

The protest spirituals became hallmarks of free speech and civil rights

Robert F. Darden of the Overby Center panel of experts writes that, when freedom of speech was restricted, protest spirituals were an effective means of communication that also became foundational messages for the Civil Rights Movement.

Overby Center 5/5/25 Overby Center 5/5/25

How Waco, Texas, Became the Unlikely Center for the Study of Black Gospel Music

There’s a story behind how Baylor University in Waco, Texas, became the center of a significant project to preserve and store Black gospel music. Robert Darden, a member of the Overby Center panel of experts and professor emeritus at Baylor, tells the story.

Overby Center 10/8/24 Overby Center 10/8/24

Marty Stuart and the pilgrim’s spot: Philadelphia, Mississippi

Country music icon Marty Stuart along with the Philadelphia Arts Council restored the Ellis Theater in Philadelphia, Miss., to establish the Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music.