So far, I think Gary T and Barry have given good, thoughtful answers to Ed's question.

While most people want to have the best-paying job they can get (so the workforce is fairly well-integrated), most people also want to spend their leisure time in settings that are comfortable and supportive to them. People of color tend to gather with other people of color, and listen to music listened to by other people of color. Folk clubs and folk fests that are ~99% white do not feel comfortable and welcoming to people of color.

Musical genres popular with many African-Americans tend to be rap, house, jazz, and gospel. Although there are black blues musicians of all ages, black blues fans are usually middle aged or older. White fans of the blues cross age ranges, but I think some blues appeals to younger fans "testing the waters" of folk, who like things that are loud, fast, electric, and closer to the rock they have grown up on.

There is more to integrating folk clubs and festivals than just inviting your black chum from work to come sometime. Many festivals are some distance from urban areas, and most aren't accessible by public transportation. Many expect people to come and camp out for the weekend. Most black people I know consider camping as something unpleasant they had to do while in the military, if they consider it at all. The idea of voluntarily using porta-johns, forgoing showers, and sleeping on the ground for a weekend is not appealing to most black friends of mine.

Add to that a feeling that most forms of music that African Americans enjoy would be looked down on as "Not Folk", and you have some substantial barriers. Is there some way we can be more open, to break down these barriers?

I was discussing some of these ideas with volunteer staffers from the Cherry Tree, a folk club on an urban university campus that's located in a mixed neighborhood. Could they offer a bill combining a youth gospel choir from a local church, with a blues musician, for instance? Could you give each young singer two free passes for family or friends? People of color do not want to be the "only ones" of their group present.

Another group I belong to, the People's Music Network, has made a lot of strides in this area, by looking at it, and being willing to try different things. While they hold a summer camping weekend, they also hold a winter weekend in an urban area each Jan. Many African Americans have friends and families in different cities who they could ask for housing for a weekend.

PMN also is not limited to strictly "folk" or "acoustic" music. If there was a rapper today who picked up where Woodie left off, would we even know it?

Another reason PMN has had some success is that they have elected people of color to their board. To gain people's trust, you have to be willing to follow their leadership, and not just expect them to follow yours. Do any of our folk societies have any people of color on their boards?

I hope these thoughts are useful to Ed and others, who would like to see our folk events more inclusive to different segments of our larger communities.

Mary McCaffrey