Pierce Freelon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pierce Freelon
Freelon in 2022
Durham City Council Member for Ward 3
In office August 31, 2020 – December 6, 2021
Preceded by	Vernetta Alston
Succeeded by	Leonardo Williams
Personal details
Born	Durham, North Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Democrat
Spouse	Katye Proctor
Parents	Nnenna Freelon (mother) Phil Freelon (father)
Education	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Syracuse University

Pierce Freelon is an American musician, teacher, author, and politician. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for his family music. He also served as a member of the Durham City Council.

Freelon started Blackspace, which is a creative space for digital art and technology. He also helped create Beat Making Lab, a web-series that won an Emmy Award. He was a co-director, writer, and composer for The History of White People in America, another animated series from PBS.

He has taught at UNC-Chapel Hill in departments like African, African American and Diaspora Studies, and Music. He also taught Political Science at North Carolina Central University. Freelon was a board member for the North Carolina Arts Council.

What Pierce Freelon Does

Music and Teaching

When Pierce Freelon was a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he created a special Hip-Hop class. He shared this class with over 100 schools and community centers around the world. After finishing his studies at Syracuse University, he developed a program called Bebop to Hip Hop. This program was for the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz.

He also helped start Beat Making Lab, a PBS web-series. One episode, Heartbeats of Fiji, won an Emmy Award in 2015. Freelon's teaching plans and grant writing helped create Next Level. This was a big project between UNC Chapel Hill and the US Department of State. It taught about hip hop diplomacy and how to solve problems peacefully.

Freelon has worked on music and social justice projects in many countries. These include places like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, and South Africa. He worked with groups like the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts and the United Nations Foundation.

Music Career

Pierce Freelon has performed and taught music around the world. He has worked with famous musicians like Nnenna Freelon, Herbie Hancock, and Patti Austin. He was featured on the soundtrack for The Black Candle. He also appeared on his mother Nnenna Freelon's album, Home Free.

He has performed with well-known hip-hop artists such as Doug E. Fresh and Grand Master Flash. Freelon is the main singer for the jazz and hip hop group called The Beast. This group has released several albums.

In 2020, Pierce Freelon released his first children's music album, D.a.D. It was very popular and was featured on NPR and the Today Show. His second album for families, Black to the Future, came out in 2021. It was featured on Billboard and MSNBC. Black to the Future was nominated for Best Children's Music Album at the 2022 Grammy Awards. That same year, his mother Nnenna Freelon's album was also nominated for a Grammy. This made them the first mother and son to be nominated for Grammys in different categories at the same time.

Politics

Pierce Freelon ran for mayor of Durham in 2017. It was his first time running for office. He received 16% of the votes but did not win the primary election. In 2020, Freelon ran for the North Carolina Senate District 20. He got 37% of the votes but came in second in the Democratic primary.

On August 31, 2020, Freelon was chosen to be a member of the Durham City Council for Ward 3. In November 2021, he became the second Durham City Council Member to be nominated for a Grammy Award. At the end of his term, Freelon decided not to run for re-election.

Family Life

Pierce Freelon's mother is Nnenna Freelon, who is a Grammy nominee. His father was the late Philip Freelon, a lead architect for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Pierce Freelon is married to Katye Proctor Freelon. Her grandfather was Samuel DeWitt Proctor. He was a former President of North Carolina A&T State University, a minister, and a friend and mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..

Music Albums

• The Beast - Belly (2008)
• The Beast - Silence Fiction (2009)
• The Beast - Freedom Suite (2010)
• The Beast - Guru Legacy (2011)
• The Beast - Gardens (2013)
• The Beast - Stories (2014)
• Pierce Freelon - Chronic The Hedgehog (2016)
• The Beast - Woke (2017)
• Pierce Freelon - D.a.D (2020)
• Pierce Freelon - Black to the Future (2021)
• Pierce Freelon & Nnenna Freelon - AnceStars (2023)

Awards and Nominations

Pierce Freelon has been recognized for his music:

• In 2022, his album Black to the Future was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Children's Album.
• In 2024, his album AnceStars was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Children's Album.