Acknowledging the Darker Periods of Our Past

In 1958, Richard Brawner — blind, Black, and 20 years old — sang tenor in the "Brailleroaders," a quartet from the Ohio State School for the Blind. Coached by a member of SPEBSQSA's Buckeye (Columbus) chapter, they competed in and won the chapter's eighth annual High School Barber Shop Quartet Contest, earning a standing ovation, and their photo ran in The Harmonizer, SPEBSQSA's national newsletter.

That visibility triggered a racist backlash from members elsewhere in the Society, who protested Richard's inclusion in the magazine. Rather than defend the young man they'd just celebrated, Headquarters assured the complainants that Richard was not a member and that the Society had no intention of desegregating. Sadly, Richard never joined, nor would he have been permitted to join at that time. He went on to become a respected professional jazz bassist and was later named Cincinnati's Blind Worker of the Year — but the organization that had showcased his talent at 20 never let him in. Incidentally, his wife, Lenora Ross, went on to be a popular country music singer.

Richard and Lenora's daughter Nikia Brawner is a Cincinnati resident and was invited to receive a posthumous honorary membership and a formal apology from the Society on Richard's behalf. The ceremony was held at Landmark Church on Wednesday October 22 at 7pm. The event featured performances by the Delta Kings chorus, Earbuds quartet, and the Southern Gateway Chorus from the greater Cincinnati area as well as a large contingent from the Singing Buckeyes chorus from the chapter who coached the Brailleroaders for that championship performance. Robert Rund, CEO of the Barbershop Harmony Society, gave a moving tribute to the life and legacy of Richard Brawner and presented the award to a very moved Nikia Brawner.