A presentation about Martin Luther King and Martin Luther King day for High School students.
Una presentación sobre Martin Luther King y el día de Martin Luther King en el EEUU para estudiantes o alumnos del institutos (alumnos que tienen 12-18 años).
A presentation about Martin Luther King and Martin Luther King day for High School students.
Una presentación sobre Martin Luther King y el día de Martin Luther King en el EEUU para estudiantes o alumnos del institutos (alumnos que tienen 12-18 años).
Appropriating Universality: The Coltranes and 1960s SpiritualityJonathan Dunnemann
The role of the Black Protestant Church has figured prominently in scholarly discussions of African American music culture, and to some extent its importance has been explored with respect to jazz. However, with the exception of the Nation of Islam, the influence of Eastern religious practices among black Americans has not been significantly researched nor have adequate connections been made between these spiritual pursuits and the musical innovations they inspired. Nevertheless, since the mid-’60s, black American artists have explored Yoga, Hinduism, various sects of Buddhism, Ahmadiya Islam, and Bahá’í. The
aesthetic impact of these pursuits has been multi-dimensional and far-reaching. In their study of Asian philosophy and religion, jazz musicians have been exposed to the sounds and musical processes they have discovered in the cultures from which these traditions have emerged. One can hear this influence in musical borrowings, such as the use of traditional instrumentation, the reworking of melodic material from folk and classical genres, and the incorporation of indigenous
improvisational and compositional techniques. Though less audible, Eastern spiritual traditions have also exerted a more abstract philosophical influence that has shaped jazz aesthetics, inspiring jazz musicians to dissolve formal and stylistic boundaries and produce works of great originality. Contextualizing the spiritual explorations of John and Alice Coltrane within American religious culture and liberation movements of the 1960s, this essay explores the way that
their eclectic appropriation of Eastern spiritual concepts and their commitment to spiritual universality not only inspired musical innovation, but also provided a counter-hegemonic, political, and cultural critique.
Running head SUBVERSIVE MESSAGING .docxtoltonkendal
Running head: SUBVERSIVE MESSAGING 1
SUBVERSIVE MESSAGING 2
Seeking a research proposal with a topic, description, question to be addressed and thesis on something similar to on the very rough fragmented subject below. Feel free to edit it into something that makes sense.
The Essence of Subversive Messaging In Music
POLITICAL RESEARCH PAPER –
This scholarly research paper begins with this excellent intro that was well received and graded A. It is the Five page Proposal – Political Science, written on the topic of “ subversive messaging”, featured in various types of music a powerful artistic forums. Music connects expressions as the universal language encompassing and conveying emotional messages of passionate emotions of love, loss, rejection, anchored in its quality of subversive messaging and sexual imaging communicated verbally and non-verbal, dialog in jazz, country western, rap, pop, classical, soul, of all genres and the emotions embedded deep within sounds (lyrics & instrumentals) over conversation about unrequited love, domestic relationships, political and social differences that unite us as a society. The advent of sexual escapades in association to music as the communication tool. USE THIS WORK AS THE FOUNDATION, EXPANDING ON IT TO MEET THE ASSIGNMENT REQUIREMANTS. NOTE: The completed assignment MUST NOT NEED OR REQUIRE A FINAL EDIT! RESULTs OF PROOF READ, done by me, MUST BE error free and EXCELLENT! Seeking high-level scholarly , competent, relevant content for a research 25 + page document that includes, components of and including competent and relevant content, an annotated bibliography, literature review and citations page, all of which will evolve and continue around the content and references in this document. May use references listed and also, if possible, Please include and document uses of scholarly resources, journals, references, such as Galileo, jstore, ebsco, etc, as a part of your research trajectory?
Instructions; Final draft, extending on this content, to evolve into a 25 + page Scholarly Research Paper, that will proof read for the mechanics of the SCHOLOARY documents, organization, continuity and transition created and EDITED into a completed FINAL DRAFT document, Plagiarism Free (verified) totaling minimum 25 pages , 8 pages of which are presented here, graded (A) prototype proposal, including excellent references, of what the research topic encompassing subversive, political messaging of music, and films, subversive messaging in music, connecting social and cultural alternative communication methods bonding socially. The class, COUNTER POLITICS IN POP CULTURE Political Science, Textbook 1. MUSIC & POLITICS, By John Street, Textbook 2. “Projecting Politics, Political Messages in American Film” ...
A Man of the PeopleWhen the novel opens, what is Odili’s profe.docxevonnehoggarth79783
A Man of the People
When the novel opens, what is Odili’s profession, and how does it impact his view of the Nanga’s visit?
Why has Odili agreed to go to the capital, Bori? What are his impressions of Nanga and the other Ministers, diplomats, socialites, etc. whom he encounters?
What is at the root of Odili’s feelings of betrayal by Chief Nanga and Elsie? Is he right about Elsie?
What does Odili decide is the best revenge for the betrayal?
Why have Max and his circle decided to found the Common People’s Convention?
What are Odili’s impressions of Edna’s father? How are these related to his impressions of Nanga and other Big Men?
In Anata, Odili’s decision to run against Nanga is greeted with hostility from most of the residents. How does this play out?
What is Chief Nanga’s final fate?
Does Odili succeed in exacting his “revenge” on chief Nanga?
School Days
Patrick Chamoiseau divides School Days into two parts, “Longing” and “Survival.” How do the two sections relate to each other? What do they reveal about Chamoiseau’s attitude about his early education?
On page 30 of our text, the narrator informs us that the Little Boy has often heard his Papa tell the Baroness, “…that at such places, you went in a sheep only to come out a goat.” What does the Papa mean? Does this warning match the Little Boy’s experience or any other character’s experience?
None of the principal characters in the novel have names. Our narrator calls himself the Little Boy, and those characters outside his family are identified by labels: “The Teacher,” “Monsieur Le Directeur,” and “Big Bellybutton,” which is a nickname and an attribute. Why name family members and Mam Saliniere (but not the Papa)? What is the significance of the label-names they do have? What is the effect upon the reader? What might be the author’s purpose in doing this? Is he successful?
Think about the relationships between language and culture, language and status, and language and power. How does the novel address these connections? How are these connections related to the Papa’s warning to the Baroness?
Consider the conflict between Big Bellybutton and the Teacher. Why has the Teacher targeted Big Bellybutton for special humiliation? What do we learn about Big Bellybutton’s internal character? How is this conflict related to the Papa’s warning?
The narrator spends a lot of time and space describing the marbles game, “mab.” How does this section relate to the experiences at school, both on the playground in the classroom?
[p. 142]
The blues was conceived by freedmen and ex-slaves--if not as the result of a personal or intellectual experience, at least as an emotional confirmation of, and reaction to, the way in which most Negroes were still forced to exist in the United States. The blues impulse was a psychological correlative that obscured the most extreme ideas of assimilation for most Negroes, and made any notion of the complete abandonment of the traditional black c.
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
The Roman Empire A Historical Colossus.pdfkaushalkr1407
The Roman Empire, a vast and enduring power, stands as one of history's most remarkable civilizations, leaving an indelible imprint on the world. It emerged from the Roman Republic, transitioning into an imperial powerhouse under the leadership of Augustus Caesar in 27 BCE. This transformation marked the beginning of an era defined by unprecedented territorial expansion, architectural marvels, and profound cultural influence.
The empire's roots lie in the city of Rome, founded, according to legend, by Romulus in 753 BCE. Over centuries, Rome evolved from a small settlement to a formidable republic, characterized by a complex political system with elected officials and checks on power. However, internal strife, class conflicts, and military ambitions paved the way for the end of the Republic. Julius Caesar’s dictatorship and subsequent assassination in 44 BCE created a power vacuum, leading to a civil war. Octavian, later Augustus, emerged victorious, heralding the Roman Empire’s birth.
Under Augustus, the empire experienced the Pax Romana, a 200-year period of relative peace and stability. Augustus reformed the military, established efficient administrative systems, and initiated grand construction projects. The empire's borders expanded, encompassing territories from Britain to Egypt and from Spain to the Euphrates. Roman legions, renowned for their discipline and engineering prowess, secured and maintained these vast territories, building roads, fortifications, and cities that facilitated control and integration.
The Roman Empire’s society was hierarchical, with a rigid class system. At the top were the patricians, wealthy elites who held significant political power. Below them were the plebeians, free citizens with limited political influence, and the vast numbers of slaves who formed the backbone of the economy. The family unit was central, governed by the paterfamilias, the male head who held absolute authority.
Culturally, the Romans were eclectic, absorbing and adapting elements from the civilizations they encountered, particularly the Greeks. Roman art, literature, and philosophy reflected this synthesis, creating a rich cultural tapestry. Latin, the Roman language, became the lingua franca of the Western world, influencing numerous modern languages.
Roman architecture and engineering achievements were monumental. They perfected the arch, vault, and dome, constructing enduring structures like the Colosseum, Pantheon, and aqueducts. These engineering marvels not only showcased Roman ingenuity but also served practical purposes, from public entertainment to water supply.
How to Create Map Views in the Odoo 17 ERPCeline George
The map views are useful for providing a geographical representation of data. They allow users to visualize and analyze the data in a more intuitive manner.
Students, digital devices and success - Andreas Schleicher - 27 May 2024..pptxEduSkills OECD
Andreas Schleicher presents at the OECD webinar ‘Digital devices in schools: detrimental distraction or secret to success?’ on 27 May 2024. The presentation was based on findings from PISA 2022 results and the webinar helped launch the PISA in Focus ‘Managing screen time: How to protect and equip students against distraction’ https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/managing-screen-time_7c225af4-en and the OECD Education Policy Perspective ‘Students, digital devices and success’ can be found here - https://oe.cd/il/5yV
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptxPavel ( NSTU)
Synthetic fiber production is a fascinating and complex field that blends chemistry, engineering, and environmental science. By understanding these aspects, students can gain a comprehensive view of synthetic fiber production, its impact on society and the environment, and the potential for future innovations. Synthetic fibers play a crucial role in modern society, impacting various aspects of daily life, industry, and the environment. ynthetic fibers are integral to modern life, offering a range of benefits from cost-effectiveness and versatility to innovative applications and performance characteristics. While they pose environmental challenges, ongoing research and development aim to create more sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. Understanding the importance of synthetic fibers helps in appreciating their role in the economy, industry, and daily life, while also emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and innovation.
This is a presentation by Dada Robert in a Your Skill Boost masterclass organised by the Excellence Foundation for South Sudan (EFSS) on Saturday, the 25th and Sunday, the 26th of May 2024.
He discussed the concept of quality improvement, emphasizing its applicability to various aspects of life, including personal, project, and program improvements. He defined quality as doing the right thing at the right time in the right way to achieve the best possible results and discussed the concept of the "gap" between what we know and what we do, and how this gap represents the areas we need to improve. He explained the scientific approach to quality improvement, which involves systematic performance analysis, testing and learning, and implementing change ideas. He also highlighted the importance of client focus and a team approach to quality improvement.
Palestine last event orientationfvgnh .pptxRaedMohamed3
An EFL lesson about the current events in Palestine. It is intended to be for intermediate students who wish to increase their listening skills through a short lesson in power point.
We all have good and bad thoughts from time to time and situation to situation. We are bombarded daily with spiraling thoughts(both negative and positive) creating all-consuming feel , making us difficult to manage with associated suffering. Good thoughts are like our Mob Signal (Positive thought) amidst noise(negative thought) in the atmosphere. Negative thoughts like noise outweigh positive thoughts. These thoughts often create unwanted confusion, trouble, stress and frustration in our mind as well as chaos in our physical world. Negative thoughts are also known as “distorted thinking”.
2. Negro spirituals are songs created by the Africans who were captured and brought to the United
States to be sold into slavery. This stolen race was deprived of their languages, families, and
cultures; yet, their masters could not take away their music.
Over the years, these slaves and their descendants adopted Christianity, the religion of their
masters. They re-shaped it into a deeply personal way of dealing with the oppression of their
enslavement. Their songs, which were to become known as spirituals, reflected the slaves’ need
to express their new faith.
Spirituals were created extemporaneously and were passed orally from person to person. These
folksongs were improvised as suited the singers. There is record of approximately 6,000
spirituals or sorrow songs; however, the oral tradition of the slaves’ ancestors—and the
prohibition against slaves learning to read or write—meant that the actual number of songs is
unknown.
Some of the best known spirituals include:
“Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless
Child,” “Nobody Knows The Trouble I've
Seen”, “Steal Away,” “Swing Low, Sweet
Chariot,” “Go Down, Moses,” “He’s Got
the Whole World in His Hand,” “Every
Time I Feel the Spirit,” “Let Us Break
Bread Together on Our Knees,” and
“Wade in the Water.”
The songs were also used to
communicate with one another without the
knowledge of their masters. This was
particularly the case when a slave was
planning to escape bondage and to seek
freedom via the Underground Railroad.
3. Northern states, beginning with Mass (1783), began outlawing slavery, leading to the ban
on importing slaves to US in 1809
In the years leading up to the American Civil War, there were slave rebellions (N. Turner,
1831). Abolitionists actively advocated for the cessation of the institution of slavery.
They helped slaves escape from captivity using the Underground Railroad.
Legislative actions and court decisions such as Fugitive Slave Act and Missouri
Compromise (1850), Dred Scott Decision and Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) reflect
growing animosity between slave and free states
The election of Abraham Lincoln as president in 1860 proved to be the
decisive event leading South Carolina and other southern states to
secede from the Union and was primary cause of the Civil War
With the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and the conclusion of the
American Civil War in 1865, most former slaves distanced themselves
from the music of their captivity. The spiritual seemed destined to be
relegated to mention in slave narratives and to a handful of historical
accounts by whites who had attempted to notate the songs they
heard.
4. While Burleigh, Hall Johnson and their contemporaries were actively composing art
song and choral settings of spirituals, it was not until the 1930’s that a concerted effort
was made to preserve this part of American culture in its original form. Following the
lead of Fisk University, Southern University, and Prairie View State College, the Federal
Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked with various state
programs to record the first-hand recollections of the survivors of slavery. These slave
narratives included stories about the role of music in their lives and songs delivered by
those who had sung these folksongs in that bygone era.
Over the years, the spiritual has given birth to a number of other American music styles,
including Blues, Jazz and gospel.
The performance of spirituals was given a rebirth when a group of students
from newly founded Fisk University of Nashville, Tennessee, began to tour in an
effort to raise money for the financially strapped school. The Fisk Jubilee
Singers not only carried spirituals to parts of the United States that had
previously never heard Negro folksongs, the musically trained chorus
performed before royalty during their tours of Europe in the 1870’s.
In 1916, Burleigh published the song, “Deep
River,” for voice and piano. By that point in
his career, he had written a few vocal and
instrumental works based on the plantation
melodies he had learned as a child. However,
his setting of "Deep River" is considered to be
the first work of its kind to be written in art
song form specifically for performance by a
trained singer.
5. Resentment by White Southerners of the efforts to end of their “particular
institution” led to creation of hate groups like the KKK and the institution of
Jim Crow laws designed specifically to limit access to Blacks.
Various individual events focus attention to treatment of Blacks--including
the creation of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1925, Marian
Anderson performing at Lincoln Memorial in 1939, Jackie Robinson
integrating baseball in 1947, the murder of Emmett Till, and the 1954
Supreme Court decision “Brown v. Board of Education” which declared
that “separate but equal” education was unconstitutional
6. Bus boycotts, sit-ins, marches
began, bringing together
supporters from Northern and
Southern parts of the United
States and calling forth leaders
from the Black community,
especially from its churches and
schools
7. MLK is believed to be the first to use a familiar sacred
song as source material for protest song during
Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-6. Changed “Give Me
that Old Time Religion” to reflect nature of struggle and
determination to move on to victory. The verses state
King’s philosophy of nonviolent protest, love, brotherhood
and the desire for freedom.
We are moving on to vict’ry (3X)
With hope and dignity.
We shall all stand together (3X)
Till every one is free.
We know love is the watchword (3X)
For peace and liberty.
Black and white, all are brothers (3X)
To live in harmony.
We are moving on to vict’ry (3X)
With hope and dignity.
8. Groups like SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) wrote adaptations for
mass meetings, marches, and other gatherings. Professional singers such as Mahalia
Jackson and Marian Anderson showed their support in the performance and recording of
spirituals and other “freedom songs.”
They began using spirituals because they were familiar to protestors, even
those from outside the South, and spirituals had served so well the need for
strength gathered from the whole
Like the spiritual of old, the words were changed on the spot to reflect the
mood or situation of the moment. One change was from personal references
(I, me) to group references (we, us) to further emphasize the sense of
community. Songs were accompanied most often by clapping hands,
tapping feet, or beating on whatever surface was available at the time.
Protest songs could generally be described as either group participation or
topical songs. Group participation songs, which included the call and
response songs that featured a leader who introduced a line of text, to which
the group responded with a “refrain”—was well suited to the large groups
gathered for marches, sit-ins, or meetings. Topical songs were
professionally composed songs written and performed by individuals as
commentary or protest.
Changed Lyrics
Refrain:
And before I’ll be a slave, I’ll be buried in my grave,
And go home to my Lord and be free.
V. No more segregation… over me;
V. No more dogs… biting me
9. “Sing for Freedom” organized in Atlanta May 1964. Intent to bring freedom
songs from different regions together. Song writers and organizers from
around the country attended to learn “freedom songs from different protest
areas for mass meetings, demonstrations, etc.”
Participants sang familiar folk songs with new verses added.
“There was that tremendous impact that only occurs when 50 or 60 song leaders bring
their voices and clapping together in thunderbolts of song for 20, 25 minutes, just on and
on and on. The Northern guests were out of breath, for they were not used to 20
minutes of letting your whole body explode into song.” P. 101
Yet, even here, using spirituals was not without its controversies. Some youths didn’t
share in the feeling that the old slave songs were appropriate for contemporary use, and
some of their elders still felt a stigma was attached to them.
10. Singer, scholar and activist Bernice Johnson Reagon talked about
the bus boycott meeting. She noted that the meeting closed with a
traditional spiritual, sung without changing the words. She stated:
Here were two songs, both a part of Black traditional sacred music
repertoire: One song, “Old Time Religion” was updated to articulate
on the immediate need of the Movement; and the second, “Nobody
Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen,” ending the session, was sun[g] in its
traditional form. On many occasions, the new moved from the old in
the midst of Movement activity. This evolutionary process was
possible because the structure of the traditional material enabled it to
function in contemporary settings. There was continuity with some
traditional lyrics being changed for statements of the moment.
These transformed songs were used in conjunction with older songs
to convey the message that the struggle of Blacks had a long history.
P.96
The spiritual faded in prominence has the nature of the Civil Rights
Movement changed. Groups like SNCC embraced the “Black
Power” philosophy, splintering members who had opposing views of
the direction of the Movement. The death of MLK in 1968 seemed
not only to mark the decline of the movement, but to signal the return
of the spiritual being sung as folksong to its century-long slumber in
the archive of America’s past.
Original Version
This little light of mine
I’m going let it shine (3x)
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Let it shine til Jesus comes…
Hide it under a bushel - NO! …
Changed Version
This little light of mine,
I’m going let it shine; (3x,)
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Deep down in the South…
We have a light of freedom…
11. “We Shall Overcome” had roots in the
gospel hymns “I’ll Be all Right” and “I’ll
Overcome Someday” by Charles Tindley.
Reagon traced its use as a protest song to a
1940’s union protest activities against a
tobacco production company in North
Carolina.
When the Student Non-Violent Co-Ordinating
Committee (SNCC) formed in 1961, “We
Shall Overcome” became their theme song,
its most powerful means of expression.
Author Jon Michael Spencer said, “Musically,
the freedom songs were the paradigm of
militancy; blacks were not just singing about
freedom but were systematically seeking it.”
(p. 104)
* Negro spirituals are songs created by the Africans who were captured and brought to the United States to be sold into slavery. This stolen race was deprived of their languages, families, and cultures; yet, their masters could not take away their music.
* Over the years, these slaves and their descendents adopted Christianity, the religion of their masters. They re-shaped it into a deeply personal way of dealing with the oppression of their enslavement. Their songs, which were to become known as spirituals, reflected the slaves’ need to express their new faith.
Spirituals were created extemporaneously and were passed orally from person to person. These folksongs were improvised as suited the singers. There is record of approximately 6,000 spirituals or sorrow songs; however, the oral tradition of the slaves’ ancestors—and the prohibition against slaves learning to read or write—meant that the actual number of songs is unknown. Some of the best known spirituals include: “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child,” “Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen”, “Steal Away,” “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” “Go Down, Moses,” “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hand,” “Every Time I Feel the Spirit,” “Let Us Break Bread Together on Our Knees,” and “Wade in the Water.”
* The songs were also used to communicate with one another without the knowledge of their masters. This was particularly the case when a slave was planning to escape bondage and to seek freedom via the Underground Railroad.
Northern states, beginning with Mass (1783), began outlawing slavery, leading to the ban on importing slaves to US in 1809
In the years leading up to the American Civil War, there were slave rebellions (N. Turner, 1831). Abolitionists actively advocated for the cessation of the institution of slavery. They helped slaves escape from captivity using the Underground Railroad.
* Legislative actions and court decisions such as Fugitive Slave Act and Missouri Compromise (1850), Dred Scott Decision and Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) reflect growing animosity between slave and free states
* Election of Lincoln in 1860 decisive event leading South Carolina and other southern states to secede from the Union and was primary cause of the Civil War
With the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and the conclusion of the American Civil War in 1865, most former slaves distanced themselves from the music of their captivity. The spiritual seemed destined to be relegated to mention in slave narratives and to a handful of historical accounts by whites who had attempted to notate the songs they heard.
* The performance of spirituals was given a rebirth when a group of students from newly founded Fisk University of Nashville, Tennessee, began to tour in an effort to raise money for the financially strapped school. The Fisk Jubilee Singers not only carried spirituals to parts of the United States that had previously never heard Negro folksongs, the musically trained chorus performed before royalty during their tours of Europe in the 1870’s.
* In 1916, Burleigh published the song, “Deep River,” for voice and piano. By that point in his career, he had written a few vocal and instrumental works based on the plantation melodies he had learned as a child. However, his setting of "Deep River" is considered to be the first work of its kind to be written in art song form specifically for performance by a trained singer.
* While Burleigh, Hall Johnson and their contemporaries were actively composing art song and choral settings of spirituals, it was not until the 1930’s that a concerted effort was made to preserve this part of American culture in its original form. Following the lead of Fisk University, Southern University, and Prairie View State College, the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked with various state programs to record the first-hand recollections of the survivors of slavery. These slave narratives included stories about the role of music in their lives and songs delivered by those who had sung these folksongs in that bygone era.
Over the years, the spiritual has given birth to a number of other American music styles, including Blues, Jazz and gospel.
* Resentment by White Southerners of the efforts to end of their “particular institution” led to creation of groups like the KKK and to institution of Jim Crow laws designed specifically to limit access to Blacks.
* Various individual events focus attention to treatment of Blacks (the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1925, Marian Anderson performing at Lincoln Memorial in 1939, Jackie Robinson integrating baseball in 1947)
Civil Rights Movement “official” start was the 1954 Supreme Court decision “Brown v. Board of Education” which declared that “separate but equal” education was unconstitutional
Bus boycotts, sit-ins, marches began, bringing together supporters from North and South and calling forth leaders from the Black community, especially from its churches and schools
MLK is believed to be the first to use a familiar sacred song as source material for protest song during Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-6. Changed “Give Me that Old Time Religion” to reflect nature of struggle and determination to move on to victory. The verses state King’s philosophy of nonviolent protest, love, brotherhood and the desire for freedom.
* Groups like SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) wrote adaptations for mass meetings, marches, and other gatherings. Professional singers such as Mahalia Jackson and Marian Anderson showed their support in the performance and recording of spirituals and other “freedom songs.”
Began using spirituals because they were familiar to protestors, even those from outside the South, and spirituals had served so well the need for strength gathered from the whole
Like the spiritual of old, the words were changed on the spot to reflect the mood or situation of the moment. One change was from personal references (I, me) to group references (we, us) to further emphasize the sense of community. Songs were accompanied most often by clapping hands, tapping feet, or beating on whatever surface was available at the time.
* Protest songs could generally be described as either group participation or topical songs. Group participation songs, which included the call and response songs that featured a leader who introduced a line of text, to which the group responded with a “refrain”—was well suited to the large groups gathered for marches, sit-ins, or meetings. Topical songs were professionally composed songs written and performed by individuals as commentary or protest.
“Sing for Freedom” organized in Atlanta May 1964. Intent to bring freedom songs from different regions together. Song writers and organizers from around the country attended to learn “freedom songs from different protest areas for mass meetings, demonstrations, etc.”
Participants sang familiar folk songs with new verses added.
“There was that tremendous impact that only occurs when 50 or 60 song leaders bring their voices and clapping together in thunderbolts of song for 20, 25 minutes, just on and on and on. The Northern guests were out of breath, for they were not used to 20 minutes of letting your whole body explode into song.” P. 101
Yet, even here, using spirituals was not without its controversies. Some youths didn’t share in the feeling that the old slave songs were appropriate for contemporary use, and some of their elders still felt a stigma was attached to them.
Singer, scholar and activist Bernice Johnson Reagon talked about the bus boycott meeting. She noted that the meeting closed with a traditional spiritual, sung without changing the words. She stated:
Here were two songs, both a part of Black traditional sacred music repertoire: One song, “Old Time Religion” was updated to articulate on the immediate need of the Movement; and the second, “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen,” ending the session, was sun[g] in its traditional form. On many occasions, the new moved from the old in the midst of Movement activity. This evolutionary process was possible because the structure of the traditional material enabled it to function in contemporary settings. There was continuity with some traditional lyrics being changed for statements of the moment. These transformed songs were used in conjunction with older songs to convey the message that the struggle of Blacks had a long history. P.96
The spiritual faded in prominence has the nature of the Civil Rights Movement changed. Groups like SNCC embraced the “Black Power” philosophy, splintering members who had opposing views of the direction of the Movement. The death of MLK in 1968 seemed not only to mark the decline of the movement, but to signal the return of the spiritual being sung as folksong to its century-long slumber in the archive of American’s past.
“We Shall Overcome” had roots in the gospel hymns “I’ll Be all Right” and “I’ll Overcome Someday” by Charles Tindley. Reagon traced its use as a protest song to a 1940’s union protest activities against a tobacco production company in North Carolina.
When the Student Non-Violent Co-Ordinating Committee (SNCC) formed in 1961, “We Shall Overcome” became their theme song, its most powerful means of expression.
Author Jon Michael Spencer said, “Musically, the freedom songs were the paradigm of militancy; blacks were not just singing about freedom but were systematically seeking it.” (p. 104)