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Over the course of just one year in the early 1840s, Thomas Smallwood, a recently emancipated Black man, with the assistance of the New England educated white abolitionist Charles Torrey, arranged for around 400 enslaved people to escape the Baltimore and DC area for freedom in Canada. While the abolition movement was still debating the best path forward, Smallwood and Torrey put their beliefs into action, establishing the Underground Railroad, and using the press to taunt the slaveowners whose enslaved people they freed. Joining me in this episode to discuss Thomas Smallwood, Charles Torrey, and the Underground Railroad, is journalist Scott Shane, author of Flee North: A Forgotten Hero and the Fight for Freedom in Slavery's Borderland. Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The mid-episode audio is “Go Down Moses,” performed by the Tuskegee Institute Singers in 1914 and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” performed by the Fisk University Jubilee Singers in 1909; both songs are in the public domain and available via the Library of Congress's National Jukebox. The episode image is "Crossing the river on horseback in the night," from 1872, available via the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library; the image is in the public domain. Additional Resources: “A Narrative of Thomas Smallwood, (Coloured Man:) Giving an Account of His Birth--The Period He Was Held in Slavery--His Release--and Removal to Canada, etc. Together With an Account of the Underground Railroad. Written by Himself.” by Thomas Smallwood. “A Black Voice from the ‘other North”” Thomas Smallwood's Canadian Narrative (1851),” by Sandrine Ferré-Rode, Revue française d'études américaines, vol. 137, no. 3, 2013, pp. 23-37. “Slave Patrols in the President's Neighborhood,” by Penelope Fergison, The White House Historical Association. “What is the Underground Railroad?” National Park Service. “Home!, or, The pilgrim's faith revived / written during his incarceration in Baltimore Jail, after his conviction and while awaiting--his sentence [four lines of poetry] ; published for the benefit of his family.” by Charles Torrey, 1845. “Charles Torrey – The Most Successful, Least Celebrated Abolitionist,” New England HIstory Society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
You're listening to the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University sing Peter on the Sea, from 1927,
https://www.theblackrep.org/ (The Black Repertory Company in St. Louis) just opened its 45th season. Founder and producing director https://www.theblackrep.org/bio-ron-himes (Ron Himes) discusses the plays for this season, the pandemic and theatre, his background forming the company, and what to expect in the future. For tickets call 314.534.3810. https://www.theblackrep.org/plan-your-visit-1-1 (Covid protocols in place). [02.41] Pandemic and theatre-A Silver Lining [05:54] Let's Go Back 45 Years to the Beginning [09:21] Ron Himes-The Director and Actor [13:11] 100 Plays Later as a Director https://www.augustwilsonsociety.org/century-cycle (The American Century Cycle (Pittsburg Cycle)) by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Wilson (August Wilson) [20:35] It's all a matter of juggling and magic! [22:17] https://www.theblackrep.org/season-45-lineup (Season 45) Sweat (September 8-26, 2021) Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea (January 12 - 30, 2022) Fireflies (February 09 - 27, 2022) Behind the Sheet (March 16 - April 03, 2022) Jitney (May 11 -29, 2022) [27:10] Annual Gala with The Fisk University Jubilee Singers [27:56] https://www.theblackrep.org/overview-education-and-programs (Education and Programs) This is Season 4! https://stlintune.com/ (stlintune.com)
It's Juneteenth! Join us as we explore the meaning behind the observance of the day, the traditions involved, and some of the music important to the day. Music: Jean Claude Hatungimana and Mark Mazzochi Modified: Work, John Wesley, Fisk University Jubilee Singers, Alfred Garfield King, Noah Walker Ryder, and J. A Myers. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. 1909. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-128141/. Used under the Fair Use Clause. Cover Art: Emily Noble Day
On March 21, 1919, a reporter went to a street corner in lower Manhattan and asked passersby, "Do you think this is a good world?" 100 years later, Ula goes to the same street corner and asks the same question. This episode was produced by Ula Kulpa and Julia Drachman in collaboration with the KCRW podcast Here Be Monsters. Editing, sound design, and score by Jeff Emtman. Here Be Monsters is produced by Jeff Emtman and Bethany Denton. Music: The Black Spot Smiles by Lambert Murphy (1918) You Hear the Lambs a-Cryin' by Fisk University Jubilee Singers (1920) Our theme song is by Phoenix Glendinning. Special thanks to Janus and Renata Kulpa and Jonathan and Paula Drachman. Find us online at goingforwardpod.com. Support the show on Patreon at patreon.com/goingforward.
Mar 21, 1919 - NEW YORK CITYAn anonymous writer for the New York Tribune stands at 154 Nassau. The writer asks passers-by a simple question: “Do you think this is a good world?” It’s just four months after Armistice Day, and on the tail of a flu pandemic that killed 55 million worldwide. The writer publishes five answers, ranging from “damned rotten” to “the finest”. Mar 21, 2019 - NEW YORK CITYProducer Ula Kulpa stands at the same spot and flags down passers-by 100 years later and asks the same question, “Do you think this is a good world?” Today, life expectancies are up, yet we still fight wars. We are still sometimes cruel to loved ones and strangers. So, with the perspective of an additional century, what do New Yorkers think about the world’s goodness?Producer: Going Forward (Julia Drachman, Ula Kulpa)Editor: Jeff EmtmanMusic: The Black Spot, Smiles by Lambert Murphy (1918), You Hear the Lambs a-Cryin' by Fisk University Jubilee Singers (1920)
Mar 21, 1919 - NEW YORK CITYAn anonymous writer for the New York Tribune stands at 154 Nassau. The writer asks passers-by a simple question: “Do you think this is a good world?” It's just four months after Armistice Day, and on the tail of a flu pandemic that killed 55 million worldwide. The writer publishes five answers, ranging from “damned rotten” to “the finest”. Mar 21, 2019 - NEW YORK CITYProducer Ula Kulpa stands at the same spot and flags down passers-by 100 years later and asks the same question, “Do you think this is a good world?” Today, life expectancies are up, yet we still fight wars. We are still sometimes cruel to loved ones and strangers. So, with the perspective of an additional century, what do New Yorkers think about the world's goodness?Producer: Going Forward (Julia Drachman, Ula Kulpa)Editor: Jeff EmtmanMusic: The Black Spot, Smiles by Lambert Murphy (1918), You Hear the Lambs a-Cryin' by Fisk University Jubilee Singers (1920)
MS Surface laptop function key identification; upcoming Apple appointment; brief demo of the Sure MV88plus microphone; Petland discount; Bose headphone discussion; introducing the Fisk University Jubilee Singers; and Upgrading our JAWS screen reader.
It is officially March, and I feel that we have done all we can for the Class of 2022. Before we head into advice for the Class of 2023, we are going to do a few episodes on things we didn’t know about certain colleges--or about higher education generally. As we have always said, we learn something every time we do an episode, even though this is our business and we have been doing it a very long time. Today’s episode focuses on a favorite topic of ours here at USACollegeChat--that is, our nation’s historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). We have spotlighted HBCUs in several of our episodes over the years (Episodes 32, 90, 100, and 117), and we mentioned them on many of our episodes that took you on our virtual nationwide tour of colleges quite some time ago. And while we will give you some background and some statistics in this episode, for those of you who are not familiar with HBCUs, the real purpose of the episode today is to praise the new documentary on HBCUs that recently aired on PBS’s Independent Lens series. The documentary, entitled Tell Them We Are Rising, is the work of filmmakers Stanley Nelson and Marco Williams. And it is fantastic! As our regular listeners know, there are just over 100 HBCUs in the U.S. About half are public, and half are private. HBCUs are large and small (many are very small), faith-based and not, two-year and four-year colleges and universities; some also have graduate and professional schools, including the well-known Howard University School of Law, which is the focus of one segment of the new documentary. HBCUs were originally founded to serve black students who had been excluded from other higher education institutions because of their race. The three earliest HBCUs were founded in Pennsylvania and Ohio before the Civil War, but many were founded in the South shortly after the Civil War. Those Southern HBCUs share a proud tradition of becoming the first colleges to provide higher education to the family members of freed slaves. Over the years, HBCUs have produced extraordinary leaders in every field of endeavor and thousands and thousands of well-educated American citizens. A list of their famous graduates would be too long to read to you. 1. Why Watch? So, why should your kids (and you) watch this documentary? (If you can’t still find it on the air on PBS or streaming on the PBS website, buy it or tell your high school to buy it and show it to all of the students.) There are a lot of reasons to watch. First, it is a great piece of documentary filmmaking. It includes take-your-breath-away and heartbreaking archival photographs and film of black American life during segregation and during the end of segregation. It includes archival photographs and film of HBCU students on campus going back a hundred years, including the horrifying 1972 shooting of two students in an otherwise peaceful protest on the campus of Southern University (in Baton Rouge, Louisiana); more about that later. It includes insightful interviews with former HBCU students now in their 70s and 80s, with HBCU presidents, with historians, and more. It includes evocative and relevant music. Second, the film gives an impressively organized overview of 150 years of African-American history, focusing on higher education in the form of HBCUs, but including everything from the beginning of elementary education for black children to the debate about the education philosophies of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois to the role of the remarkable Thurgood Marshall (who graduated from both Lincoln University and Howard University School of Law, two HBCUs) in ending school segregation to the lunch counter sit-in protests staged by HBCU college students during the struggle for civil rights. If your kid does not know this history (and many don’t), here is a powerful way to help him or her learn it. Third, if your kid does not know what an HBCU is, it is time your kid learned. That is especially true if your family is African American--or Hispanic, because Hispanic enrollment at HBCUs has been increasing (as we have said in earlier episodes). And while white students can and do also enroll at HBCUs, white students should also have an understanding of these historic institutions and their continuing important role in our nation’s social and cultural fabric. We have heard too many anecdotes (including in this documentary) of black high school students who want to go to an HBCU only to have their friends ask them why in the world they would want to do that. Early in the film, HBCUs are described as an “unapologetic black space.” Late in the film, they are described as the place where “you’ll find something you won’t find anywhere else.” That’s why. No one could have said it better. 2. Some Background If you all thought that you were going to get away without hearing one more time about my favorite HBCU, Fisk University, you were wrong. Oddly enough, in a PBS interview by Craig Phillips with the filmmakers, Mr. Williams said that they had written a segment, which they did not end up using, about the Fisk University Jubilee Singers. The Jubilee Singers, organized in 1871, saved the University from closing in its early days by raising money on their concert tours, and they continue to tour today. I love their story. And, of course, there is Charles Spurgeon Johnson, the intellectual architect of the Harlem Renaissance, who served as Fisk’s first black president, and the Harlem Renaissance writers and artists, like Arna Bontemps, James Weldon Johnson, and Aaron Douglas, whom he brought to Fisk to work with him. Well, Mr. Williams, I would love to have seen your segment on the Jubilee Singers, though I was interested in the segment you do have on Fisk. And you all should be, too. As we just said, today HBCUs enroll students who are not black--just as historically white colleges and universities (referred to as predominantly white institutions, or PWIs) now enroll students who are not white. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2015, students who were not black made up 22 percent of the enrollment at HBCUs. That was up from 15 percent back in 1976. And while the number of students enrolled at HBCUs rose by 32 percent in those years—which was good for them—total college enrollment rose by 81 percent in those same years. Some observers say that it has become harder for HBCUs to recruit African-American students now that they have been welcome at both selective and nonselective colleges across the U.S. That is undoubedly true to some degree. Nonetheless, there is still a strong sense of community among the alumni/alumnae of HBCUs and a strong sense of tradition on HBCU campuses. You can see that in the new documentary, for sure. And there have been very recent and impressive spikes in HBCU applications, as we said back in Episode 100. For some African-American students, the sense of community at HBCUs could be a good fit for what they are looking for in a college, and a shared culture could go a long way toward helping them feel comfortable on a college campus, especially if it is far from home. Some observers say that Hispanic students often feel more comfortable in the family-like environment of many HBCUs, which could account, in part, for the increase in Hispanic enrollment. And, parents, in case you are interested, lower-than-average tuition rates at both public and private HBCUs (sometimes literally half of the going rate at PWIs) are one more attractive feature. Just go check out a few. I think you will be surprised. So, if you and your kid are tempted to investigate further after watching Tell Them We Are Rising, here are some HBCUs to consider (some you will probably know, and some you might not know): Fisk University (Nashville, Tennessee) Howard University (Washington, D.C.) Spelman College (Atlanta, Georgia) Morehouse College (Atlanta, Georgia) Tuskegee University (Tuskegee, Alabama) Hampton University (Hampton, Virginia) Lincoln University (Lincoln University, Pennsylvania) Florida A&M University (Tallahassee, Florida) Xavier University of Louisiana (New Orleans, Louisiana) North Carolina A&T State University (Greensboro, North Carolina) Claflin University (Orangeburg, South Carolina) Delaware State University (Dover, Delaware) Morgan State University (Baltimore, Maryland) And there are plenty more. 3. What We Didn’t Know So, let me return for a moment to the shooting at Southern University, which I am embarrassed to say I knew nothing about. I would like to think that is because I myself was just a college student in those days, but that is really no excuse. Here is an excellent synopsis of what happened, as told last month by reporter Mike Scott, of The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, on the occasion of the documentary’s airing on PBS: Forty-five years after two Southern University students were shot dead by police who had been sent in [to] quash weeks of demonstrations on the school’s Baton Rouge campus--which included occupation of the university president’s office--the 1972 incident is once more getting attention. The documentary Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities will make its broadcast premiere Monday night (Feb. 19) on PBS--and online a day later…. In addition to starting with a drum cadence by the Southern University drum corps, the 85-minute film features a 10-minute segment on the Southern [University] shootings, which are brought to life through interviews, photos and video--and which vividly, and poignantly, illustrate the on-campus tumult at HBCUs in the late 1960s and early ’70s. “They were exercising their constitutional rights. And they get killed for it. They die,” former student Michael Cato says in the film of the slain students. “Nobody sent their child to school to die. It shouldn’t have happened.” The Southern shootings took place Nov. 16, 1972, after weeks of demonstrations by students protesting inadequate services. When the students marched on University President Leon Netterville’s office, Gov. Edwin Edwards sent 300 police officers in to break up the demonstrations. It was during the subsequent confrontation that a still-unidentified officer fired a shotgun at students in violation of orders. When the smoke cleared, two 20-year-old students--Leonard Brown and Denver Smith--were dead. No one was ever charged in their deaths. Edwards, who is interviewed in Tell Them We Are Rising, blamed the students, saying their actions were a “trigger” for the police response. In 2017, the Southern University System board’s academic affairs committee voted to award Brown and Smith posthumous degrees. (quoted from the article) The documentary shows the actual shots being fired and the bodies of the two students being taken away. It includes a touching interview with the sister of one of those students. It tells a story that all of us should know. 4. Final Thoughts In an interview for PBS with the filmmakers, writer Craig Phillips asked why they had wanted to make a film about HBCUs. Here are their answers: Stanley Nelson: In fundamental ways, historically Black colleges and universities form the core of the African American community. They are the engine that has driven the ascent from enslavement to the highest positions in business, government, education, science, technology and entertainment. The sacrifices made to create these institutions are significant, and are what compelled me to capture this essential chapter of American History. Marco Williams: HBCUs are the engines of American democracy. These institutions, in the education of African Americans activate what it means to be American. I was invested in telling this story because I am committed to highlighting the fact that African American history is American history. People often ask about is there a need for HBCUs? I always answer: why don’t we ask is there a need for PWIs (predominantly white institutions)? This answer, coupled with the viewing of the film, provides the most salient understanding of the significance and the value of these essential institutions to the creation of America. (quoted from the article) Mr. Nelson goes on to say this: My goal is to highlight the indisputable importance of these institutions within Black communities and invite Americans to consider how different our country might look without the existence of these institutions. I also hope this film prompts viewers to not only celebrate the legacy of HBCUs, but also reinvest in them. (quoted from the article) I think that the film will absolutely do that. I think it is hard to watch it and not want to go to an HBCU. Remember, parents, that HBCUs come in all shapes and sizes. Some are well known, and others are not. But their history as a group and as individual institutions is remarkable, as Tell Them We Are Rising teaches all of us. Find our books on Amazon! How To Find the Right College: A Workbook for Parents of High School Students (available as a Kindle ebook and in paperback) How To Explore Your College Options: A Workbook for High School Students (available in paperback) Ask your questions or share your feedback by... Leaving a comment on the show notes for this episode at http://usacollegechat.org/episode153 Calling us at (516) 900-6922 to record a question on our USACollegeChat voicemail if you want us to answer your question live on our podcast Connect with us through... Subscribing to our podcast on Google Play Music, iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn Liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter Reviewing parent materials we have available at www.policystudies.org Inquiring about our consulting services if you need individualized help Reading Regina's blog, Parent Chat with Regina
Conductor Malcolm J. Merriweather is Music Director of New York City's The Dessoff Choirs, known for performances of choral works from the pre-Baroque era through the 21st century. An Assistant Professor, he is Director of Choral Studies and Voice Department Coordinator at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, Artist in Residence at Union Theological Seminary, and Artistic Director of Voices of Haiti, a 60-member children's choir in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, operated by the Andrea Bocelli Foundation. Merriweather is also in demand as a baritone soloist, often performing throughout the eastern United States. During the summer of 2017, Merriweather led Voices of Haiti in performances with Andrea Bocelli at Teatro del Silenzio in Lajatico, Italy and for Pope Francis at the Vatican. Other conducting highlights of the 2017-18 season include: David Lang's The Little Match Girl Passion, Vaughan Williams's Dona nobis pacem, Bach's Singet dem Herrn, BWV 225, and Komm, Jesu, komm, BWV 229 with The Dessoff Choirs; Handel's Messiah at Brooklyn College and the Harvard Club of New York; and Leonard Bernstein's Mass (Concert Selections) and Honegger's King David at Brooklyn College. Recent conducting highlights have included Mozart's Requiem, Vivaldi's Gloria, Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, and Orff's Carmina Burana. Solo engagements for the 2017-18 season include the premiere of Sanctuary Road by Pulitzer Prize-winner Paul Moravec with Kent Tritle and the Oratorio Society of New York at Carnegie Hall; and Fauré's Requiem and Ralph Vaughan Williams's Dona nobis pacem with Christopher Shepard and The Masterwork Chorus. Recent performances have included the baritone solos in Rautavaara's Vigilia as a part of the Great Music in a Great Space series at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine; the music of William Byrd with Parthenia; and Vaughan Williams's Dona Nobis Pacem with the Grace Choral Society. Additionally, Merriweather has been featured as a soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Dessoff Choirs, the New York Choral Society, and Bach Vespers Choir and Orchestra at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in New York City. The baritone has also premiered contemporary solo works by Eve Beglarian, John Liberatore, Ju Ri Seo, Douglas Fisk, and James Adler, and he has been a fellowship recipient at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and Tanglewood Music Center. Merriweather holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting from the studio of Kent Tritle at the Manhattan School of Music, where his doctoral dissertation, Now I Walk in Beauty, Gregg Smith: A Biography and Complete Works Catalog, constituted the first complete works list for the composer and conductor. He received Master of Music degrees in Choral Conducting and in Vocal Performance from the studio of Rita Shane at the Eastman School of Music, as well as a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from Syracuse University, summa cum laude. Merriweather's professional affiliations include membership in Pi Kappa Lambda, the American Choral Directors Association, and Chorus America, and he sits on the Board of Directors of the New York Choral Consortium. In this episode, Malcolm shares his one way ticket to join the Fisk University Jubilee Singers on their first tour in 1871! He also talks about his work with the Voices of Haiti, the life of a Conductor, and his eclectic play list. Malcolm is just one of the extraordinary guests featured on The One Way Ticket Show, where Host Steven Shalowitz explores with his guests where they'd go if given a one way ticket, no coming back! Destinations may be in the past, present, future, real, imaginary or a state of mind. Steven's guests have included: Nobel Peace Prize Winner, President Jose Ramos-Horta; Legendary Talk Show Host, Dick Cavett; Law Professor, Alan Dershowitz; Broadcast Legend, Charles Osgood; International Rescue Committee President & CEO, David Miliband; Grammar Girl, Mignon Fogarty; Journalist-Humorist-Actor Mo Rocca; ; Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.; Abercrombie & Kent Founder, Geoffrey Kent; Travel Expert, Pauline Frommer, as well as leading photographers, artists, writers and more.
You’re listening to the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University sing Peter on the Sea, from 1927,
Hit songs from 1912, including: When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, Oh You Beautiful Doll, Love Is Mine, Come Down My Evening Star and Waiting For the Robert E Lee. Performers include: Al Jolson, Lilian Russel, Fisk University Jubilee Singers, Enrico Caruso and Collins & Harlin.
Episode 11: Early African-American recording artists. Performers include: Bert Williams, James Reese Europe, Ma Rainey and the Fisk University Jubilee Singers.