Singing Songs of Freedom

When waging war against oppression, secret communication is essential.  

And so it was in America, when slaves sang spirituals to send coded messages of hope, escape and rebellion.

On Sunday afternoon Rev. Dr. Bernard R. Wilson of the melded music to story in a presentation called “Music on the Road to Freedom: The Underground Railroad and the African-American Spiritual.” These songs are now part of the nation’s collective consciousness. And on Sunday, a full sanctuary had a chance to partake in that rich history.

“These spirituals live in the heart of those slaves who survived,” Wilson said. “This music transformed a people who had no freedom but the freedom in their souls.”

Wilson, the grandson of a slave, was a former Navy Chaplain. His grandfather was four when the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect.

The African American spiritual is the first uniquely American bit of music, Wilson said. It is testament to the slaves who created the songs.

“There is so much behind this music, the double meanings,” said Norfield Sanctuary Choir Director Ellen Dickinson. “We love this music and it really is an expression of a people during a place in time.”

The choir sang 14 such spirituals. Applause greeted the end of each song. A standing ovation marked the end of the program.

Slavery isn’t just African American history, it’s American history as Americans should never forget, Wilson told the audience. Song as protest is a medium that continues today, he added.

“Think about what we have just witnessed in the ancient land of Egypt as thousands of our brothers and sisters sang in Tahrir Square,” Wilson said. “In the manner of non-violent champions of the past, like Ghandi and King, they challenged decades of tyranny.”

And so it was with spirituals such as “Go Down Moses,” “Steal Away,” “Ain’t Got Time to Die,” and “I Got a Robe.”

To discover a means of surviving, slaves created songs. Stripped of their own culture and faith, those in bondage reworked the religion and mores of the country in which they were enslaved.

Slave masters believed the songs were simply entertainment. Little did they know.

“Steal Away” was code for slaves to seek the Underground Railroad, or perhaps steal away to visit with an itinerant preacher. Slave owners mistook “Ain’t Got Time to Die” for a song of obedience; it was but obedience to God and freedom.

“Deep River” sang of the rivers that needed to be crossed to get to freedom. For example the Jordan River could be the Mississippi River. The Underground Railroad ran through the northern states all the way until Canada. The song alerted slaves that it was time to take seek a conductor.

Locally, there are several spots reported to have been stations on the clandestine network, including Wilton.

“We found a space right beneath this pulpit that could be used as a hiding place,” Wilson said. “Of course no Underground Railroad space can be proven, but, it would not surprise me that this community and this congregation was a spot on the Railroad.”

It’s difficult to document stations because of the secrecy involved.

When the Civil War ended, newly freed slaves endured more than a century of Jim Crow Laws, Ku Klux Klan, and countless indignities, Wilson said. Still, spirituals continued to mark the road to freedom.

And so today, Wilson said, we are “not judged by color of our skin but by the content of our character.”