Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Gayle F. Wald

Gayle F. Wald is the author of This Is Rhythm: Ella Jenkins, Children’s Music, and the Long Civil Rights Movement

Stories from this author

Ella Jenkins performing circa 1980s

How ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ Introduced the ‘First Lady of Children’s Music’ to a Large National Audience

When musician Ella Jenkins appeared on the show, she brought Black diasporic music and her signature songs to televisions across America