The Jaffrey-Rindge Martin Luther King Jr celebration opened with a resounding tribute in the voices of the Monadnock Chorus and Dublin School Chorus singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the iconic hymn to African-American struggle, hope and faith.
The program at The Park Theatre in Jaffrey focused on music and its role in the Civil Rights movement, using performance, participation and presentations. A strong presence by Franklin Pierce University included first-year student Andrew White as the event’s moderator and staff member Florisbeth Joseph delivering reflections on the importance of community.
Following “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” choral conductor Brittney Redler and accompanist Zach Redler, Dublin School director of music, led the combined chorus and audience in a spirited call-and-response of the freedom song “Woke Up This Morning with My Mind Stayed on Freedom,” inviting the audience to call out verses.
Jaffrey Grade School fifth graders in Matthew Harris’s class gave presentations about singer-activists Marian Anderson, Fannie Lou Hamer, Mahalia Jackson and Coretta Scott King, who were all influential in the Civil Rights movement. Footage of historic performances played on the theatre’s screen.
These included Marian Anderson singing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939 to a crowd of 75,000 — the largest for any gathering there up to that tim — after she was excluded due to her race from singing in the Daughters of the American Revolution’s Constitution Hall and Mahalia Jackson singing at the famous 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech. The audience learned about how Jackson interrupted King, urging him to “tell them about the dream,” prompting him to divert from his prepared remarks to contemplate his memorable dream of brotherhood and racial tolerance.
Bringing the spirit of music to the present, Franklin Pierce University sophomore Devin Johnson rapped his original song composed for the occasion, “Lifted,” which met with enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Conant High School Rotary Interact Club volunteers and Girl Scouts from Troop #59095 served as ushers. The evening ended with the traditional audience participatory sing by candlelight, this year singing along with Fannie Lou Hamer in a historic recording of her freedom song version of “Go Tell It on the Mountain.”
This year’s keynote address will be delivered by Andre de Quadros, Boston University Professor of Music, international music director, and human rights activist, on Sunday, Jan. 25, at 2 p.m. at Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge. The event is free; reservations are recommended at cathedralofthepines.org/register.
The Jaffrey-Rindge MLK Day commemoration brings people together to celebrate shared positive values that lift the spirit, enrich understanding of human experience, and sustain a hopeful outlook. The Jaffrey-Rindge Committee invites new members. Jaffrey or Rindge residence is not required. Contact jaffreyrindgemlk@gmail.com to get involved.