Fisk University is celebrating 150 years of the world-known Jubilee Singers.
Elected officials, alumni and students of the historically Black university gathered in the school’s gym on Wednesday to honor the perseverance and genius of the nine original singers.
“In 1871, America was hesitant and even unwilling to hear Black voices,” Student Government Association President Saraya Ashley recalled. “But the Fisk Jubilee Singers fought through this reality.”
More: Radio Special: Three Castles And The Music City — 150 Years Of The Fisk Jubilee Singers
Event attendees were invited to go on a pilgrimage with former student and poet Nikki Giovanni, who also spoke at the ceremony. On the tour, they stopped by the City and Greenwood cemeteries to visit the graves of four of the original singers.
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