Happy Black History Month! I’d like to announce a Twitter project, “Erasing Colorasure in Music Theory.” In the history of American music theory, and American classical music, whiteness has consistently erased nonwhiteness from existence as unimportant in a process...1/

...I call “colorasure,” which I base on Kate Manne’s useful concept of “herasure” when the same happens with women. In order to shine a light on notable colorased black musicians this Black History Month, I’ll send out a tweet each morning of a black African musical figure,...2/

...usually American, who has been colorased by American music theory. Many such figures are now being (re)discovered. While some are more famous—e.g., Muhal Richard Abrams, Joseph Bologne, Julius Eastman, Scott Joplin, Yusef Lateef, Vicente Lusitano, Charles Mingus,...3/

...Florence Price, or George Russell—others never broke through. (Note: black women are both colorased and herased from existence, which makes it nearly impossible for them to break through.) Of the many hundreds of such figures out there,...4/

...I try to stick with music theorists and composers who may have been of interest to American music theory, had American music theory ever truly been interested in blackness. With this “public music theory” project I follow in the footsteps of pioneer scholars...5/

...who know infinitely more about these figures than I do, scholars such as Samuel Floyd, Tammy Kernodle, Horace Maxile, Emmett Price, and Eileen Southern, and so many others, and I’m deeply indebted to such scholars in this simple project....6/

... Collegial corrections/comments always welcome. Again, happy Black History Month! First Colorased figure coming shortly. 7/7