Day 3: Freedom Singers

“Wade in the water
Wade in the water
Wade in the water, children
God’s gonna trouble these waters…”

This is how Freedom Singer Ms. Rutha Harris opened her session with us this morning.

The Freedom Singers toured the U.S. raising money for SNCC and telling people about their work for human rights for al. They toured 46 states, travelling tens of thousands of miles in 9 months. They sang at the March on Washington and at institutions like Carnegie Hall. At times they were arrested and once in Alabama they were shot at but all survived.

Ms. Harris enthralled us with her incredibly beautiful and powerful voice. She and her friend, Ms. Eartha Watkins (Professor of Music), performed for us and allowed us the privilege of singing freedom songs with them.

It was a moving, beautiful, and humbling experience that I will never forget. The experience of the Freedom Singers serves as a reminder of the power of songs and music to inspire, uplift, and strengthen. Without it, and the literal voices of Ms. Rutha and others, the Civil Rights movement might not have sustained momentum in the way that it did.

Sarah P. Myers

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