American Experience; Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory; Interview with Reavis Mitchell, Historian

as a do we say as embark upon this to be not only raise money for fisk but they represent the rising aspirations of african americans as always a big focus on who solve them are you on strauss the younger ulysses grant mark twain what invisible of them young african americans salvi's young people like themselves either fully free or frida slaves who are now representing a college and who represent education this sets a market for fisk university as well as for african american institutions oldest groups arising aspirations and that becomes the hallmarks of early african american institutions of higher learning there's bees for paul simon contribute their money to missionary activities within the law the jubilee scientists later and these college students touring now become a wonderful example of what your

money has brought for its pro quo person out of that darkness of slavery into the light of freedom and the light of education services in a sentence or two of what was sensible love to talk about his state visit this is when they were you know supporting this institution other thomas i was initially for the first more than two hour as a state of below my desk because where mobile phones come from continue the activities the freedoms bureau is no longer providing funds while the missionaries to be to saginaw collecting it's very costly to operate this college at the ten how many of the students are without financial

support themselves and they can be large tuitions at the point that the board of trustees and the national one that even to allow the signers to depart schools treasury has about one dollar if they don't go out and if they are successful the doors close to this person is dead the first trip to chillicothe ohio is warming and welcoming but they raised their welcome there are many good members of the american missionary association a mini the church people but this is not the response always received as they move north many times accommodations i deny them many times they had to go through back towards some restaurants not serving are the idea of african americans as

college student is not coral even in the world they are simply seen as groups of african americans coming into communities where they had not been invited by the whole community well think of the emotional highlights of their first two was a trip to chicago they were scheduled a jubilee singers were scheduled to perform in chicago in october the a h and seventy one but the rich can refine less twenty nine hours a mobile suffer the greatest of that are are african americans and as the chicago fire in the fall and the full evening after the fire the same as before but they contribute their entire purse for the evening to the chicago victims of the fire this could have ended the dream for the jubilee singers this clinic is given that the dream because at this point that there's no money and there's no support that evening today's in the evening two

days later they're indicted or gone college they perform and one of the members of the american missionary association and they endorse their efforts to raise a hundred and thirty dollars and the northern two are now takes on a new life initially they are performing a standard music of the day and they are receiving a polite reception they performed the battle hymn of the republic but more and more they begin to enter there were put war the slave south the negro spirituals the songs that my people were saying when they were working in the fields and the audience were surprised at the very disciplined way very standard english very victorian deportment of these young singers when they were performed steal away to jesus and beautiful melody a couple without instrumentation

a standard was the way to jesus they would also perform what messed up the jubilee singers of the war what's the spiritual introduced into the repertoire the songs we had great meaning he secured saw the wheel what was the way out there live a humble life again bring the message so these were the same songs that the slaves had sung in the fields as they worked to give a message but to give a warning still awaiting jesus might not only means do with heaven but it might mean that this would be beaten for a run away so as that people saw and heard these songs people can devote to the negro spiritual it's in the mark twain begin to home and saying the spiritual they perform for president ulysses s grant and vice presidents calico facts they perform for the great

musical great new form of the johann strauss the younger and it said that he waived his violin in the air they would introduce the spiritual as a unique point of music what was most apparent audiences was the way that they presented themselves in the would be understood their music they were animated but yet dignified they song with a low all what they were singing but i would've represented they were truly singing in the present and representing the past a common past shared back those african americans who suffered slavery and mass celebrated battles african americans enjoy freedom and education is also

art after they asked one of the early performances george white the director was singing in heaven prayer himself probably room and he remembered the book oblivious from the babel and he remembered the message of jubilee in the people coming out of jubilation the full slate and uruguay believed that the city has never proven at that same point of jubilation it was the director george white you call them first jubilee singers the european to or imagine just a few years out of slavery and so again these people identified as some former slaves and the children of slaves coming to america to europe impact was a special import new

and big the terrace royal officials would hear that the duke and duchess of forgot skewed the duke and duchess of our doubt that the duke and duchess of our power but we are now the sox are now the european tour is particularly important just a few years out of slavery some the children of slaves now these people are coming to europe as college students the impact was particularly impressive anyone or several identified as royals the duke and duchess of art now we hear the singers queen victoria would be invited and on at least two occasions we hear listeners' promised the gladstone and in every instance they are acclaimed not as

minstrels not just former slaves but as unique bright young americans import and this was queen victoria's decision to allow her core portrait painter thomas how bill to pay a magnificent portrait of the jubilee singers and it's become the historic representation of that group you're welcome anyone especially well as an america says the bowl of the victorian era and queen victoria and when you look at these young people they present a pretty picture of victorian lifestyle they address and there this is

the time of the tour is also the midst of the victorian era and throughout america and especially in england of vocal style queen victoria is the mode for the day these young people are perfect victorians they are dressed in victorian elements they deport themselves in a very victorian man that was probably as much uniqueness about this as anything else remember the war was not accustomed to looking at black victorians this maybe the inspiration as much as the songs of the music for queen victoria to allow a portrait painter thomas her bill to paint a beautiful victorian portrait of these young jubilee singers from the united states and from nashville tennessee oh there's one that lavender will

start i think a lot of you remember that it was mark twain after hearing young people that remark that they were from the musical city nashville it houses to recreate it was mark twain in a newspaper in a newspaper story in the new york times that remark about the young student we call musical city yes it inhabits the theory was that it would be worse during the first year after what would be considered by a rocket start racing purses of fifty dollars and forty three dollars they enjoyed success in a connecticut to or they raised four

thousand dollars in a week and that was the largest but then in a successful evening in boston they raised four thousand dollars in one evening at the end of the year it's estimated that they would raise fifty thousand dollars in eight and seventy one seventy two and that was a phenomenal success for that period of time what do you do from that initial tour eighteen seventy one at seventy two a fifty thousand dollars would be used by the president and the board rockwell says on that initial and that initial to an eighteen seventy one and seventy two a board of directors and those in charge of fiscal would look at constructing a new campus the oversight family initial success of the first to have

fifty thousand dollars and eight and seventy one seventy two a problem can be addressed the old site the contraband campsite is dilapidated wooden buildings are falling apart the school directors decide the news cycle be needed rio this one is nineteen seventy one eight and seventy two a side a frisk the schools become deplorable the wooden buildings on the lap and eight this was still sided with a cholera epidemic and its worst everywhere the spring rains become the flaws the barman the past will run until really no ability among the students and even among church organizations to address this nie undecided be required and one was available old formula in north nashville off for contraband camp could be purchased and would be purchased with the money

raised by the jubilee singers also from those initial to a from that initial two are planned to be made for the victorian gothic jubilee hall a splendid stone and brick six story structure like nothing that existed at that point in time for educating african americans this permanent structure represents something that can be easily removed demolished nineteen seventy three seventy four in the south there were a series of fires and many of those places identified as schools for the former slaves come under the torch of jubilee hall stand as a mighty structure with walz won twelve inches thick of stone and brick nothing can be fireproof but it was a slap as possible that particular

time it'll be ignored by a bell tower which can also serve as a watch tower if you are coming to this place to be educated you feel a degree of sight you feel oblivious to her you probably different african american entering the grandest building that you've ever been in and your entire life is so it will take three years to construct jubilee hall from the laying of the cornerstone of when its complete it is the entire fisk university faculty and families were is that they are the students were his act there all classes a hill in the six story structure the offices of the year and many towns still when parents bring their young people they reside for a while because travel is becoming dangerous so this is the entire university it's big it's

huge it's welcoming it remains that what was the image of the jubilee singers as an image for risk and for higher education and aspirations among african americans you reported that it remains they say to the world that not knowing mr el negro an object of self help but i can help to look myself if you accept me as a man a woman if you listen to my message if you listen to me you can see and i'm a part of the tapestry and the spectrum they introduce me and to the world the negro not simply as a slave in america but as a participant in american ski areas

when the jubilee sinus trouble more air their audiences which contain many young people they become not only a musical group but a symbol of inspiration and from around the country young african americans began to flocks out to nashville tennessee unless a flock which are better numbers of eleven hundred to twelve hundred per year coming not everyone becomes an actual be able to attend the institution to come to the school but they serve is hope oh so they people for these for all the screens and every time there's a discussion of screens and colleges this image becomes one or more independent and tear itself to young people in gender itself to young people as a hope for education

this is ridiculous for years oh but julie centers are a unique group of african americans that have summoned in slate and so the children play some were the children of quote important people of the day that first group into including janet jackson jimmy jack janet janet jackson was the daughter of the body servant of andrew jackson some of the young people including american debbie robinson or from free families that were sent that has to be educated to be a regional group virginia walker and janet jackson

become among the earliest african american women of the united states to hold a ba degree they certainly as a group to excel now not all the entire group will graduate many of them fail to graduate because they spend so much of their time raising funds the new and double decker yes when you view this group of young scientists they represent a wide spectrum of represent the american unity know every shade from anthony to all they represent all of the diversity of the african american experience coming out of slavery and coming out of america polls are many many persons when they would come to concerts they were just as surprised by their parents not only dressed victorian but they represent the spectrum of the african american and about this time the african american was from a big meat on the average african

american some slight some former slave and some free the african americans were short and tall some were brought so last month america had seen every uniformed spirit typical picture of the slate enemies nor the communities they had not seen the diversity that makes up that made up the african american population well as character yeah but junior scientists have always painted a picture that was one of their discipline people no more route you know rockers very disciplined almost to me oh they were professional this

profession of music they were about but they were also scholar and because of mr white who always a very quiet group when they wouldn't a community to raise very little ai they raise very little question very little reason to question why they would they are at a time when some communities were still fearful of groups of young african americans coming here it was very clear that these young people were there about the task of sharing their music promoting their college where he's been the young people who made a better regional group of jubilee singers and throughout the three tumors they understood that their mission was to raise money and to send back to their school they understood that if they were not successful this would not be successful if you

very carefully there records in their notes and that balance each one of them hope to return to complete their education but equally as important was the mission that they were about saving the university and making sure that it had a lasting place for america the challenge faced by the jubilee singers and fisk university was in a state of freedom of peaceful moments when people survive and prosper what they can into their place within american what may be the tonal object of self help would they be a burden on american how could they be protected what first begins early on is the attempt the ridge occasion to train a people not just to be a park or to take more rare but to contribute even chewing the mission becomes want to train leaders

and the argument is that every group of people but it was about the culture has got to have a leadership corps these jubilee singers and those who follow at fisk take up that challenge as well as the mission of surviving themselves he wants a public education becomes a part of the experience of the inter sorrow what's going to require be teachers develop these communities in many african americans who can read and write while illiterate to inspire others interestingly enough about fifty cents or to have an early start maybe its first humans become the teachers they're going to tennessee they've actually going to georgia they travel north and a unique phenomenon take place these young teachers will tell their very best students you need to go to moscow you need to go where i went and they will send them to us through this group of graduates or people who

started their early on there's a rich intellectual yeast the atmosphere is not wrong bad the faculty not brought on by the president been thrown out the students themselves when they were young but make the point yet they're there all the time during those early years at fisk there was an additional unit was taking place and the question is there that probably took place in few places in the country because you get young whites in the classroom with four slaves and for free blacks when the missionaries came unraveled campers their children study the question and frisk for two reasons they weren't sure about the local community and how to be received and initially there were no public

schools in nashville salk from the earliest point in the school's history you get black and white coming together in the same environment reaching for their american dream of education bacall welcome the american missionary association and the congregational church for teachers and most all these missionaries that kind of fiscal white because african americans who had education at that time when i'm anxious to go back into a sow ongoing to us out with him even proceed as slaves so that initial faculty was all white are also important was george weightman school treasurer and he his family and others come and become a part of the fisk experience that this is

also there but the jubilee singers con artist university and they never forget the fact of how important a role the sheer really are history often forgets the fact that these young people were also not only goodwill ambassadors and communicated the spirit of what they were in fact missionaries and especially in europe they carry or evangelical a missionary work it's in geneva switzerland especially people are astounded at these young african americans are performing speaking and coming to faith and it was unusual for young child come up and rubber faced to see color wouldn't that come out but the missionary work there is affected they are showing to the world and to evangelical support the contribution that the african and now the african american consumer role in the world they do not have to be the downtrodden do your money and your effort you can support this uplifting

venture beat it's been