John McLaughlin Williams: 'Bill, the post on Still and the World's Fair was fantastic.'

[ABOVE: William Grant Still shows his score to Grover Whalen and another Fair official. (Photo courtesy Judith Anne Still.) BELOW: William Grant Still was billed second, under designer Henry Dreyfuss, on credits. (Photo courtesy Judith Anne Still.)]

On September 4, 2011 AfriClassical posted: “Bruce D. McClung: 'The selection of a black composer...ran contrary to the Fair’s discriminatory hiring practices.'”

The conductor John McLaughlin Williams, an expert on neglected classical repertoire and a staunch supporter of AfriClassical, replies to the post on the Theme William Grant Still composed for the 1939 New York World's Fair, which counted over 5.7 million visitors in the exhibit in which his 6-minute composition was played continuously:

“Bill, the post on Still and the World's Fair was fantastic. Stuff like that really helps forward discourse about the music. Thanks. J”