Sophia Alvarez Boyd

The symbols of America's racist past have been under intense scrutiny since the protests against police brutality erupted nationwide. The confederate flag and other monuments from that era have been disappearing from public spaces — both by force and legislation.

Jonah Mutono's debut album GERG is really more of a re-entry. Until late last year, Mutono released music under the name "Kidepo." But starting with the single "Shoulders," and now with GERG, he's sharing his real name and story of self-acceptance for the first time.

Gospel music has always been a source of refuge and hope, and no one knows that better than Almeta Ingram-Miller: Her mother, Maggie Ingram, was known as the Gospel Queen of Richmond, Va. In 1961, she founded one of America's most celebrated gospel groups, Maggie Ingram and the Ingramettes, which performed together for more than five decades. The Ingramettes stopped recording after Maggie Ingram's death in 2015.