Spirituals in The District?
It's their History, their story
Our Mission
We are raising awareness to recongnize the Negro Spiritual as a defining featre in the African-American culture, and want to show its significance to American slaves. The enslavement of Africans in the United States lled to the formation of Negro Spirituals. Slaves used the spititual as a way to carry out their own unique culture in an opressive enviroment and also to feel closer to their God. The blending of Anglo and African culture gave rise to resistance, which was demonstrated through the spirituals.
Our mission is to make the developers of the African American History Museum in Washington DC understand that a wing of the of the museum needs to be dedicated to the Negro Spiritual, and recongnized as a necesity in the lives and culture of the American Slave.
The enslavement of Africans in the United States led to the formation of the Negro Spiritual. Slaves used the Spiritual as a way to preserve and carry out their own culture in an oppressive environment and to feel closer to their God. The blending of Anglo and African culture gave rise to resistance, which was demonstrated through the Spirituals.
fig 1. Kennedy, R. A design concept for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington. Designed by Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup, 14 ApriL 2009, from nyctimes.com
The new wing on the museum would have a theater dedicated to the performance of Negro Spirituals like the one below. Negro Spirituals will provoke a sense of community and hope in the audience.