A Balm in Gilead: Songs of Resilience, Hope, and Healing brings renowned scholar/musician Arthur C. Jones, author of Wade in the Water: The Wisdom of the Spirituals and founder of The Spirituals Project (Denver, CO) to Greenfield.

On Saturday, March 29, Dr. Jones will join with the young people of Música Franklin and Twice as Smart in a community concert featuring the youth. Sunday, March 30, he will present A Balm in Gilead: Songs of Resilience, Hope, and Healing, a multi-media talk about the history, hidden meaning, and importance of the Spirituals as a source of the strength to endure and survive. Interwoven with his presentation, a community choir coming together specifically for this event will join with the Twice as Smart choir to sing several of the songs he will discuss.

The LAVA Center invites a participatory audience that reflects the full diversity of our community and society to learn together and sing together. The songs exemplify themes in the Spirituals of Suffering, Resistance, Clandestine Communication, Religion & Theology, Accountability, and Healing. As we come to understand their deeper meanings and combine our voices in song, we aspire to find our own Balm in Gilead.