Recurring themes in our institute to date have included Black Music’s spiritual roots in the church, including call and response. These roots show up time and again in Black music including cool jazz, soul music and Motown. Be it within a song or the subject of it as in the style of the first hit record for the Motown group The Miracles: “ I Got a Job” responding to “ Get a Job”. A second theme I wish to touch on linking this day’s adventures in St Louis with our NEH Institute topics is Urban Reality music a la Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye.
After asking our professor Dr. Early yesterday to recommend some possible churches for me to attend on Sunday (today), I selected one from his list, looked up the location and placed a post it note on our dorm ‘living room’ door. One adventurous soul expressed interest in joining me, we set a time to meet, I brought my hats from my car trunk and we sallied forth to church the following morning. Central Baptist Church provided us with a stunning experience. Yes, there was a Hammond B3, the singers were awesome, the room packed and everyone riveted. I wiggled, my friend cried and everybody shouted from time to time. I sang and sang and sang. Each time our preacher, a deacon or a choir member sang or called out we responded. The sermon was an achievement God was certain to have smiled on. Reverend Scott assured us that the only one mad by the time we were done was the Devil. I believe he was right. The title of his sermon was something like “It’s Time to Change Your Clothes”. He emphasized to us, using the biblical David as an example: mourning at night and waking to joyfully dance as an example for all of us. He pushed us to leave our excess, possibly negative baggage behind and go forward in a positive light. He challenged us to get out of our pajamas of problems and past events we might wish to blame others for and to essentially get on the good foot. Preacher Scott’s sermon was a piece of Urban Reality.
I attend an activist inner city Episcopal Church in San Antonio, Texas. We deal with urban reality on a daily basis through Haven for Hope, the Food Bank and other essential programs, however, I have never heard the harsh daily reality faced by so many marginalized urban citizens, this strongly addressed in a sermon. He called out and we responded to being thankful for our jobs, for those who were still searching for them, victims of domestic abuse both male and female, partners without rights, those foreclosed on or bankrupt, drug abuse, health problems, those blaming others for their own problems, those dwelling in the past on the negative. Throughout the entire 2 hours the leitmotif, in music we might call this the refrain, returned to not letting past problems, worries conflicts, etc., prevent us from putting on our new selves, the self who has the choice to get up dancing, the dynamic and thankful self and go forward in life. My partner and I left Central Baptist Church knowing we hadn’t been cultural tourists. We had shared 2 precious hours of our lives in essential life practice with a whole lot of other warm and welcoming people. As I strongly recommended a visit to the I Am America exhibit last week, I today suggest each of you spend a Sunday 11:00 AM service with the parishioners or disciples at Central Baptist on Washington St. Amen.
-- Laura Butterfield
Images provided courtesy of the CBC website.
