American Experience; Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory; Interview with John Hope Franklin, Historian

so we decided to come back to after they had been released or that you know we're getting to the end of the tours those combat walk to the lesson is a remarkable moment why someone well yeah a little swing voters that great and all the coast in london question as dale and know that london really the than that lab by the queen is one thing but who are going to join them so much or

that's it well alton actors say something about the drummer back in the world johnson mr sharga terrible find them go back in the world of where they're lacking in but they don't expect that will change i'm not sure yeah it's awesome promising

news sewing talent and neutral field and had also the task of conveying to the general public what young educated do black people were going to be they were representing more than the nude musical tradition there representing they knew friedman a new kind of black person that do certain it was not known while mia generally that is not to say that they had not been educated blacks before they had been but they were a bit of fun to love america millions in boston or in new york and weave in those communities even moving very quiet here that's

been his spectacular activity limo among in their own community now here the were these young people are being exposed a large audience is an those audiences having seeing for the first time who could do something who are going to have the dignity and the rule is trying a new exhibit kind of summer fair a kind of a balance that too was certainly not common and that was not no the average white american of the average european and so this is that it's difficult to

appreciate fully the impact that these young people going ahead and get on the general public as they made their way in true remorse triumphantly and then through europe and and it's it's it's it's something to appreciate and to reconstruct their experience as they moved into these areas and the impact of famous the head on these people too hard to be to shoot them fully understood and yet they're there was the impact and there was a goodwill that was called the really both and this rebounded to the benefit of fisk and i'm sure it is said that they have a same jewelry a hole into existence that represents a new kind

of support generosity and philanthropy that that had not existed and visit the v wade newton the black college a black institution in atlanta he says today the presence of what they do to change people's minds that happen in our lives too so who knew would never be the same again that is them off the people involved who who were experiences with now could be the same day and i think i was safe that that's coming as they do at a time when the mortars but growing prosperous as a result of what's in the solicitation and when fortunes are being built up for the first time that

the jubilee singers have a lot to do with a developer the whole notion of philanthropy surgery for friedman as the beneficiaries of philanthropy and more than that of helping the newly rich think through their role in american society and the one of their roles will be you to the actors andrew carnegie's that as kristen stewart's to provide opportunities for soldiers little ingenue of promoting and stimulate the growth of our aunt better society and them and well this would not be the beneficiary of all of the good that was done it will the same as will stimulate people

into the americas but the other institutions and not know that a black institution but to white institutions well so this is advancing nexus between those demolition of generosity which the this thing is influenced and the generosity of the louvre masterpieces and that will learn that will manifest itself to fisk the vanderbilt to enjoy the places it's a period of great giving about comes right on the heels of that you were using as i like to feel that they have something to this widespread generosity illinois says the

semis when he uses these beaches it has blue eyes you see the upside of the wind up a combat then you just the sense of confidence and also going to get a sense of what is the southern world that comes back to what is the idea the contrast between the world that jubilee singers left in the world which i return as considerable the difference is considerable it's made even greater by the experiences which they head both in the north and in europe are they have been wide and

lionized and praised all of an often all over europe when they left the national reconstruction was was tottering but it was but the time they got back the future was clear reconstruct had been all through the klan was thriving the world in which they came the road which they returned was a whirl which was was denied at which was dark and which was so discouraging and which was which provided no no bright future for the jubilee singers often ill young blacks now

do the rebels bono from tennesseans are remaining young blacks who remain in tennessee it's worse for the researchers who doubt that had seen how human beings have lived and who had been treated as human beings there for them to come back to the world that has deteriorated even says they left so unless there was a situation where they laid at incidents that was getting worse and worse not better worse what kind of choices out there are other black people in terms of just social will to do just what the examples you use it no change the opportunities which they will have to work provided

by a thorough a segregated society and is there to teach that is because blacks and whites to be separate and would be taught black baby talk about blacks and use your mother waits and blacks would lead to detroit's segregation the lab was strong clearly unequivocally about them late at incentives and become even more pronounced in later years but then really really what we would see even civil rights activities it was was being notified by the attitudes of a file full of whites who would not and for some even in chicago even in new york where we were violated with impunity and the only with ignoring

traditional in other southern villages no was no opportunity for any kind of racial equality and that's the world that we have that drove up and there the opportunities limited that world and the world record preach and teach and ministered to their role and anyone else and get that would get little it is tourists well who will slow to address the talent for

music reverend so it was a good use of them in the men's women's issues listed the same basic dignity rousseff is the day that i wouldn't want the juices satan we always like to think that through the

jubilee singers know it's a jubilee hall into existence but they but they say that institution which was on the verge of collapse when they went out to the pub those restriction true news to report i like to think that they saved the institution and particularly in two important categories first they saved the institution which already had to set high standards for itself and for its people and these high standards will become a kind of hallmark of tradition become a part of the first page the high standards were still in existence and we still being maintained when i was a student first pre nineteen thirty one that

particularly well i was an applicant for a mission the greatest to harvard university in the spring awakening thirty five that is the spring approached this universally worse put on the approved list of the association of american universities and when i receive my admission to harvard in the spring they can verify they said that i would be the first student from fisk or any other historically black institution who was admitted i read without condition and as because of bystanders at fisk have maintained so much so that it had been put on the approved list of the association of american universities and i was therefore admitted to harvard without conditions i did not have state freshman english as other graduates of the start of a black olives had to do before that time and was because of these high standards

i like to think also atlanta convention internet users is a letter today to do it who will his widow i like to think that fisk jubilee singers saved fist a sense of keeping an open but also in the sense of love of maintaining and frisk as a place where its traditions were important

where high standards were important and i think offensive as a place where the standard of of excellence was so strong that it lasted through two years and to this evidence can be seen by the fact that when i was a graduate student when i was applying to be a greater student at harvard university in nineteen thirty five but i was admitted to harvard from fist because i would say i could be in it without condition goes fist standards have been so high that had been approved by the association of the regulars is that they're spreading imagine very fat so that the students who have been to better to harvard university before that time

from fiscal from any other historically black institution had been required to take freshman english among other things but no because of these high standards and because these has high standards and approved by the association wrote universe is that i could go all and would be admitted to fully tribulation without condition and without taking freshman english they point out that that had been the first time that a parent thanks to frisk him its highest that i've also think that first was a place that i saved and preserve and promote of dignity a sense of self a sense of importance a sense of dignity and a part of its students and the people came under the influence of its students and this is best seen it seems to me by the conduct of one of the first jubilee singers made a portico

who was living in detroit michigan at the time that i was a single student at fisk university it was during my first year in the spring night in nineteen thirty two that has made important goal was invited by his universe of a comeback for the fist music festival news is cole said that she would be happy to come the first but says she could not come the first if she had to ride and segregated from transportation facilities on the train she said she would come with is only a fist set to destroy of automobile and the driver that would bring her they're with dignity and without humiliation of segregation and so luke this universe and set a car to destroy that brought his goal back the first she had not been there since many years before when she was a jubilee singers self

now she returned we had the pleasure of seeing this little jubilee singers of many many years before coming and have a reunion at fisk enjoying the dignity which she insisted upon and you know talk more via the fervor and these are real commitment of african american people at the idea of education shows up the class so that it is difficult to imagine what education and treatment and some have been withheld from them all during the period of slavery it was something to in the ethos of the american people which

glorified and held up education as an important force kind of indispensable force one was to succeed so that as blacks the game free making sixties one of them is if they wanted morning else was education they've been withheld from it was against a lawful and even he educated so the thing that's what they wanted and they would pay almost anything to get a visit would sacrifice they would goal clearly linked they would avoid debt they would work hard though they would do anything possible if it meant that they would make a step toward making one leap forward in the educational feel that is what they wanted and that's what they were willing to do almost

anything to get sober education becomes a kind of go watch word that was so powerful than the black man do that our distance and what was regarded as the most valuable thing commissioner word remorse or was the first step to read the new book the real service to real solution job who are you to be a participant in the american social order they had seen that freedom was not enough for whites that education is becoming more and more important for whites colleges

so schools were increasing and strengthen day and force and power so if it's good enough away people it's good for black people who want to be a part of the spoon so sure and political order so that education does is absolutely indispensable and they're going to get it if they possibly can and that's why you see fathers bringing their sons and daughters to screw and asking what it costs willing to pay for them money money to pay for it and can they have tremendous stories of fathers mothers who brought produce produce a smooth since the movement of money an order for children to have a magician

food suits that slips further important the famous bureau's problem known as the bureau of refugees freedom and abandoned lance it too came into existence after the war and for the express purpose of facilitating the readjustment of the friedman true existence as as free people to close a loan facility also the redistribution of land that had been confiscated during the war from confederate platters others and three the bureau is also charged with the responsibility of providing

educational opportunities for him for the freedom and so that the bureau's was central part all the reconstruction program that was outlined other kinds of real estates it was bitterly opposed by southern whites who did everything they could to destroy the influence or effect of the euro it's because the patient's be