Lincoln University’s Charles H. Pettaway Jr. Unveils New Africana Music Scholarship and Degree Program

Lincoln University, PA — May 29, 2026 — History is often less about what happened and more about what we choose to remember—or, more pointedly, what we are taught to ignore.

For decades, the narrative of classical music and global “civilization” has felt remarkably one-note. But Charles H. Pettaway Jr., the Chair of the Music Department at Lincoln University, is spent his career arguing that this isn’t just an oversight. It is, as his latest scholarship suggests, a “myth of absence.”

Pettaway, a celebrated concert pianist in his own right, is currently at the center of a national conversation regarding the origins of Western knowledge. His new book chapter, The Myth of Absence: Black Presence in a Whitewashed World, doesn’t just revisit history; it essentially interrogates the way historical narratives are constructed.

He’s looking back at Kemet (ancient Egypt) not as a peripheral curiosity, but as the foundational engine for mathematics, philosophy, and architecture that later defined Western society.

“My work is focused on confronting the idea of absence where there has always been presence,” Pettaway noted. Frankly, it’s a bold stance in a field that has often struggled to look beyond the Eurocentric canon.

This isn’t just ivory-tower theory, though. Pettaway is putting these ideas into practice through a proposed Bachelor of Science in Africana Studies Music at Lincoln University—the nation’s first degree-granting HBCU. The curriculum is massive in scope.

It’s designed to treat Africana music as a rigorous academic discipline, spanning everything from the Black music industry and jazz to Caribbean traditions and hip-hop.

It seems to me that this isn’t just about adding a few names to a syllabus; it’s about creating a structured, global academic framework that acknowledges Black music as a primary driver of cultural identity.

In the midst of this academic push, Pettaway’s fingers haven’t left the keys. His 2026 performance schedule has already seen him in Jenkintown, with an upcoming appearance slated for June 28 at Pinn Memorial Baptist Church.

He’s been recently spotlighted by AfriClassical and Canadian Music Today for his interpretations of Black composers who were nearly erased from the traditional repertoire—names like Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges, George Walker, and Howard Swanson.

• Preserving the Legacy: Performing works by historically significant Black composers.
• Judging the Future: Serving as a judge for the Debose National Piano Competition at Southern University.
• Curriculum Reform: Advancing a degree program that integrates Western theory with cultural context.

Pettaway’s influence is clearly widening. Whether he’s judging emerging talent in Baton Rouge or being featured on Close Up Radio, his mission remains a singular, persistent challenge to the status quo.

It’s about ensuring the next generation of artists doesn’t just play the notes, but understands the deeper, more complex origins of the music they inhabit.

If the foundations of Western knowledge have deeper origins, perhaps it’s time our degree programs reflected that reality.