In response to the U.S. Navy’s recent decision to rename ships originally honoring figures like Harriet Tubman and Harvey Milk, this episode of Three Tune Tuesday—“Erased but Not Forgotten”—features three pre-1925 records that speak louder than silence. With non-English and racially coded titles, La Paloma, The French Trot, and Darktown Strutters’ Ball serve as melodic rebukes to a whitewashed vision of history. These songs, recorded by Mexican, multicultural, and Black artists, reflect the true roots of American music and the deep legacy of diversity that no government directive can erase.
