Headstone for Thomas LaRue Jones
Donation protected
One of the more heartbreaking parts of my recent groundbreaking research on the lost world of the so-called "shvartze khazonim" -- African-American cantors of the 1920s and 1930s -- was that the greatest of them all, Thomas LaRue Jones, (1894 - 1954) lay in an unmarked grave in a cemetery in Linden, New Jersey.
LaRue's importance to this forgotten moment of Black and Jewish-American history cannot be overestimated given his decades-long career as a beloved singer of traditional Yiddish songs and cantorial liturgy on the stage, radio and on record in the United States and in Europe.
It seems inconceivable to celebrate the now revealed amazing life of this great Black cantor without affording him in death the dignity of a suitable headstone in his final resting place. I am passionately committed to giving Thomas LaRue Jones the recognition he deeply deserves so am eagerly and appreciatively seeking the funds to accomplish this memorial.
https://www.henrysapoznik.com/research-blog
LaRue's importance to this forgotten moment of Black and Jewish-American history cannot be overestimated given his decades-long career as a beloved singer of traditional Yiddish songs and cantorial liturgy on the stage, radio and on record in the United States and in Europe.
It seems inconceivable to celebrate the now revealed amazing life of this great Black cantor without affording him in death the dignity of a suitable headstone in his final resting place. I am passionately committed to giving Thomas LaRue Jones the recognition he deeply deserves so am eagerly and appreciatively seeking the funds to accomplish this memorial.
https://www.henrysapoznik.com/research-blog
Organizer
Henry Sapoznik
Organizer
Davis Corners, NY