This presentation is part of a one-day Spirituals Project conference titled “Spirituals in the Twenty-First Century.” Please see information and registration portal here:

The prevalence of enslaved Africans’ sacred folksongs, called spirituals, and their concertized offshoots in musical cultures around the world, has waxed and waned at various times since the end of legalized chattel slavery in the United States more than 150 years ago. The songs’ appeal in the twenty-first century, both in the U.S. and around the world, has persisted. There is broad understanding today of the historical significance of these songs as tools of survival, resilience and resistance among enslaved women and men, and of musical performances of spirituals as one important way to honor the brave legacy of the songs’ creators. However, the knotty question of who exactly possesses the right to sing these songs has surfaced and re-surfaced over the years, and continues to be raised now, more than a quarter of the way into the twenty-first century.

Arthur Jones will unpack the legitimate concern of cultural misappropriation, while also presenting an argument for why the spirituals, created during a very specific time and place in Black American history, also have much to teach singers from diverse backgrounds about universal experiences of suffering, resilience, and compassionate human connection. He will suggest reasons why this aspect of the legacy of the spirituals is particularly ripe for exploration in our currently fractured cultural environment. Importantly, he will suggest ways in which this has the potential to happen in a way that simultaneously acknowledges, respects and honors the very specific origins and history of these magnificent songs.