How To Be Ten Toes Down With Spirit
When was the last time you stood on business? Sometimes society is quick to try telling us what we can and can’t do. But true freedom means standing on business each and every day, knowing Spirit will guide us through.
“Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things.” — Psalm 98.
Fisk University opened in 1866 to educate Black students. Within five years the school was bankrupt. Professor George White crafted a plan no one saw, or heard, coming.
White, who taught in the music department, invited nine of his best students to sing together. The ensemble toured the country, with proceeds going directly to keep Fisk open.
But white audiences became furious when they realized that the Fisk singers were not a bunch of minstrels to be laughed at and ridiculed.
To restore the singers’ morale, White turned to the bible to select an official name for them.
He chose “The Jubilee Singers,” a nod to the “year of jubilee,” in which all those enslaved were to be set free. This reminded the group that their purpose was greater than all of them.
Over time audiences came to welcome their performances.
The mainstays of their repertoire were “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “Steal Away to Jesus.” After touring the U.S., the Jubilee Singers toured Europe. More than 150 years later, Fisk University is still educating Black students.
Black liberation means standing on business even when our goal seems impossible. We know that Spirit will get us there.
We have a quick favor to ask...
We hope you're enjoying PushBlack Spirit! Spreading the truth about Black spiritual practices and history is just as important to you as it is to us.
And as a small non-profit, we need your support to keep spreading these important stories.
With as little as $5 a month, you will support our tech and writing costs, so we can reach even more people like you. It only takes a minue, so will you please donate now?