Page 17 - WTP VOl. XII #1

A highlight was when they sang “Glory,” the John Legend/Common song that’s in the movie Selma. The woman who did the rap part, Annetta Nunn, instantly grabbed our attention. After the song, she talked to us and revealed that she had been the first Black female police chief in Birmingham—an unexpected revelation that sent ripples of laughter through our chorus. “We had always wanted the keys to the jail, and then one day I had them,” she quipped. We ended the concert with both choruses singing together our version of the gospel tune, “The Storm is Passing Over.” It begins with the line, “Encourage my soul and let us journey on, though the night is dark”—some- thing these women and men have been doing their whole lives.
Before the concert, Martha told us that when she talked to people in Birmingham about our impending trip, some would ask how we sounded as a chorus. She suddenly realized that she had no idea, because she had never heard us sing. Afterwards, Martha told us that she felt like a “proud mother.” We had done well. I was delighted that the members of the choir had clearly taken pleasure in our songs, singing or clapping along, or standing up when they were espe- cially moved.
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I am an atheist, but I have always been drawn to and energized by African-American gospel music, and I find it exhilarating to sing. The songs of the freedom movement, such as “This Little Light of Mine” and “We Shall Overcome,” that I had sung at various rallies, marches, and picket lines over the years are linked to the spiritual and gospel traditions. SANS’s repertoire on this trip was an eclectic mix of gospel, spirituals, freedom songs, and music from other genres, including Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young”—a favorite of mine—and Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors.”
Much of the soul and R&B music I have always loved—from Aretha Franklin to Al Green and many others—is rooted in the gospel tradition as well.
On our final day of the trip, we would visit the Stax museum in Memphis. The museum is filled with artifacts and videos related to the former recording studio which produced some of the greatest soul music of the 1960s, including Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and Mavis Staples and the Staples Singers, all of whom had roots in gospel music. Walking through the museum was one long dance step, as music beckoned from every corner, ending with a few of us dancing to songs piped out to the sidewalk.
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“On the base of the sculpture are
the names of two boys who were murdered
that day, one by police and the other by white supremacists. One of the girls stands on a bench, releasing six doves into the air, while another sits on the bench helping the first with her dress.“
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