Larry Lawrence

Larry, who was born in 1950 in East St. Louis, Illinois, came to Champaign to acquire his Political Science degree from the U of I in 1972.

Larry tells how music and dance is so culturally important to him and how it was part of his everyday life growing up. Learning the baritone saxophone at a young age, he played and recorded with The Young Disciples Band. As part of the Project 500 at U of I, he reveals what it was like to be one of the earliest Black students on campus, from segregation in the clubs to campus protests. He relates how the Black students shared music and dance styles from their home communities, especially those from St. Louis, Chicago and Philadelphia.