Children's Choir Bridges Racial Divide in Michigan

The All God's Children Community Choir in performance. Photo by Pamela Chappell

In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. articulated his now famous dream, imagining a world in which “little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.” In the highly segregated environment of Southwest Michigan, where we live, Dr. King’s dream can seem a distant vision, a faraway goal, perhaps naïve and unattainable. But on a snowy morning in March 2005, a more hopeful picture was emerging. The All God’s Children Community Choir, a racially diverse group of boys and girls, ages three to 16, had been invited to perform for 2,500 educators at the big convention center in Grand Rapids. Children, teens, parents and choir directors would need to leave by 7:45 a.m. in order to arrive on time for the opening ceremony. At 7:30, the bus driver began to express serious doubts about the likelihood that families would come out through a blizzard on an early Saturday morning to make such a trip. But come they did — in cars, in vans, in pickup trucks, inching forward, headlights peeking through the snow. By 7:45, the bus was filled with exuberant riders. Six cars carrying additional children and parents lined up behind the bus, ready to follow in tandem. As the bus driver prepared to start the journey, one of the choir directors suggested a “word of prayer,” and a choir dad took the microphone at the front of the bus. “We’re the All God’s Children Choir, Lord, and we’re asking your blessing for safe passage through this storm so we can take our message to the teachers in Grand Rapids…” As Brother Brown spoke, row after row of black and white children reached out to each other, side by side and across the aisle, joining hands as “sisters and brothers.” In the tenderness of that moment, Dr. King’s dream didn’t seem so far away after all.

In a world increasingly torn by racial, ethnic and religious strife, finding ways to bring people together is an urgent priority. Since children are the architects of the future, it seems particularly important to help them reach across artificial divides and develop relationships of mutual understanding, respect and trust. If enough children and families can come to know one another as individuals, rather than stereotypes, perhaps there is still hope for creating Dr. King’s “beloved community.”

There was little evidence of beloved community in author Alex Kotlowitz’s 1998 depiction of southwest Michigan. In “The Other Side of the River,” Kotlowitz described the racial tension, alienation and segregation that persist in this area, and suggested that these patterns reflect the state of race relations throughout the United States. In response to this book, a diverse group of area residents (including the authors) came together to form a Race Relations Council with the primary goal of finding ways to bridge the racial divide. One of the council’s first projects was the creation of a multiracial children’s choir. Our belief was that by collaborating on a meaningful project, children, teens and parents from different racial groups, usually separated by distance and mistrust, could come to know one another in ways that would promote mutual understanding, respect, friendship and trust. We also believed that the All God’s Children Community Choir could provide a positive model, presenting audiences with a vision of a diverse, harmonious community in which people live as neighbors rather than strangers.

From the beginning the leadership team, like the choir, has reflected the diversity of the broader community. At rehearsals and performances white, black, and Asian directors work together to help choir members learn a wide variety of meaningful songs. At the same time, they facilitate the development of positive connections between children, parents, and grandparents and provide a positive model of multiracial collaboration.

In an effort to expand everyone’s vision of “where I belong,” we decided to schedule choir rehearsals in a variety of locations — churches, a synagogue, schools, libraries, parks, museums and community centers throughout the region. Choir directors and parent volunteers all pitch in, helping the children learn new songs, applauding their efforts and responding to urgent requests (e.g., “I really need to go to the bathroom”). From the beginning, all rehearsals have concluded with a shared meal, providing an opportunity for relaxed, informal conversation and play. Birthdays are celebrated once each month, and choir families enjoy periodic activities that are “just for fun” (picnics, holiday parties, hayrides, etc).

In the past nine years, the All God’s Children Choir has performed together on more than 90 occasions. Highlights have included: multiple performances at the local community college to commemorate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; a special Habitat for Humanity performance for former President Jimmy Carter; concerts in Grand Rapids and Traverse City for state and national teachers’ conferences; joint appearances with the Chicago Children’s Choir in Michigan and Chicago; a Holiday Traditions concert with the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra and Metropolitan Opera star Angela Brown; and performances with renowned professional musicians Tom Chapin, Josh White Jr., Gemini, LaRon Williams, Nikki Harris and Pamela Chappell (with whom All God’s Children recorded an award-winning CD). These experiences have created a rich store of memories and have enhanced the connections among all members of the group.

In addition to rehearsals and performances, choir families and directors have shared joyful experiences and helped each other through difficult times. Families have attended plays, concerts and church programs together. Some have exchanged “play dates” or cared for another family’s child during a time of illness or the birth of a baby. When a director was recuperating from major surgery, choir families brought in meals every day for more than a month. These experiences, clearly going beyond the basic choir format, have significantly deepened the friendships among all members of the “choir family.”

Over time, all of us have developed a sense of belonging and a sense of trust that transcends racial differences. This evolution was in evidence one summer afternoon, as two young choir members — one black, one white — were chatting away in the wings of a small-town band shell, waiting to walk onstage with other members of the group. One of the directors signaled them to stop talking — “the microphones are on!” she said. The boys leaned forward, nose to nose, and continued their conversation, now in a whisper. From the corner of his eye, the white child took note of the tight ebony curls that framed the face of his friend. He reached out, gently placing his palm on the other boy’s cheek, and explored the feel of hair quite different from his own. The black child continued his story without missing a beat, but in response he too extended a hand and tenderly placed his palm along the cheek of his friend. His fingertips ran through the fine, straight locks, and both boys began to smile. They stood this way, facing one another, opposite arms extended, hands resting along the side of each small face … until the choir directors called out, urging them onto the stage. It was just a moment in time, but in its uncomplicated ease, untainted curiosity, and tender expression of trust, the moment spoke volumes about the journey of the All God’s Children Community Choir.

We know that one multiracial children’s choir is not going to change the world. Perhaps, though, if such a choir (or dance troupe, theater program, mural project, etc.) were to develop in every community, children and families could begin to experience one another as brothers and sisters, rather than “us and them.” Decades of psychological research have demonstrated that when individuals from different racial groups have sustained contact over time, work together toward common goals and interact in a cooperative rather than competitive way, stereotypes and prejudice are reduced. If enough children and families in enough communities could participate in these kinds of experiences, we just might succeed in creating a world in which everyone appreciates that we are more alike than different; that we are, in essence, all God’s children.

The All God’s Children Community Choir in in a summer 2009 performance at the Silver Beach Pavilion on Lake Michigan in downtown St. Joseph

Larry Feldman, M.D., and Sandy Feldman, M.S.W., are the founders and coordinators of the All God’s Children Community Choir. Their e-mail address is: sandyandlarryfeldman@hotmail.com

Original CAN/API publication: January 2010