The African American Folklorist for September: Brandi Waller - Pace

Sep 5

Interviewed and Published By: Lamont Jack Pearley

Honoring Brandi Waller-Pace

This September, we shine the spotlight on Brandi Waller-Pace (they/she) as our African American Folklorist of the Month. Brandi is a musician, educator, and scholar-activist whose work is reshaping how we see and hear music in this country. As the founder and executive director of Decolonizing the Music Room, organizer of the Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival, and program manager for the Black Banjo & Fiddle Fellowship, Brandi’s mission is clear—center Black voices, preserve tradition, and build equitable spaces for the future.

In our conversation, Brandi reminded us that decolonization is not a destination but a lifelong practice:

“There’s never a point where I’ll say, you are decolonized now. This is forever work.”

As a multi-instrumentalist and cultural organizer, Brandi bridges jazz, banjo, and Black roots traditions while writing, performing, and creating programs that uplift community. They are also a powerful advocate for naming systems of oppression directly, while offering ways to move forward with rigor and respect.

“Stop doing one-hour panels and calling it change. Name whiteness, anti-Blackness, patriarchy, transphobia, ableism. Shift power. Fund the work.”

We honor Brandi not only for their artistry but for their dedication to justice, education, and representation. Their example challenges us all to do more than admire culture—to sustain it, pay it forward, and protect the communities it comes from.

Salute to Brandi Waller-Pace—Musician. Educator. Scholar-Activist.

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Watch the Conversation
Title: African American Folklorist of The Month for September: Brandi Waller-Pace—Musician. Educator. Scholar-Activist.