In Tune with History: Two Gospel Concerts Celebrate Black History Month

By Cale Holmes ‘16

Published February 2015

Local artists preform “Wading in the Water”
 with choreography six months in the making.
Photo courtesy of Cale Holmes ‘16

To make up for the Black Leadership Association’s current inactivity at Randolph College, the Multi-ethnic and Multicultural Leaders  Club, whose mission is to bridge the gap between progressive cultural endeavor and extracurricular activities, has gone full blown steam ahead with the Gospel Extravaganza for Black History Month.  

The hopes of recreating the event were a drive for students and staff who have all cooperatively coordinated it in past years.  However, due to scheduling difficulties, the 2015 Gospel Extravaganza was separated into two parts.  Part I was coordinated by Hermina Hendricks, Director of Multicultural Student Services, who earnestly wanted to guarantee choir groups and artists scheduled to perform on Valentine’s Day their original performance date.  Students Vanessa McBean ‘16 and Shay Nelson ‘15, the Multiethnic and Multicultural Leaders Club’s leaders, have planned for Gospel Extravangza Part II to feature a wide range of artists on February 21. 

Part I was presented as planned by Hendricks on Valentine’s Day.  The show saw a combination of art and lyrical expressions with a unique perspective that the college hasn’t seen for several years now.  Though sparsely attended, Hendricks shed tears of joy due to the close relationships between all the attending community members. 

Leslie King, a Lynchburg local, thought the event was successful in its essence of “highlighting the musical tradition of the Black community.”  The event entailed several acts of song and dance with a spiritual purpose.  Famous songs like “Wading in the Water” were accompanied with songs composed by local artists and choirs, accompanied with innovative choreography.  Julius Thomas ‘12 read the opening scripture and led the opening prayer.

Many students who attended these events, especially the students who have organized the Gospel Extravaganza Part II, wished to gain cultural insight from all other Black History Month events. Members of the greater Lynchburg area, on the other hand, came with the hope of reliving the strong engagement that artists of color have had with Randolph College in the past. The Multi-ethnic and Multicultural Leaders Club hopes that similar events, such as Part II, will be held in the future with greater attendance.