1st Century A.D., slave turned philosopher
Epictetus offered these thoughts: " It is the act
of an ill-instructed man to blame others for his
own bad condition: It is the act of one who has
begun to be instructed to lay the blame on himself:
And of one whose instruction is completed,
neither to blame another, nor himself."
| Calvin Earl rose to national prominence in 2007 when he ensured the destiny of the humble spiritual as part of American history when he succeeded in moving the US Congress to a unanimous vote that would forever recognize the African American Spiritual as a National Treasure and would honor the slaves for their contributions to our nation "with our deepest gratitude and respect". | |||
The spirituals are my passion. The spirituals both describe and transcend the American experience. I strive to learn more about our enslaved brothers and sisters whose pure, raw and unfiltered original music moved our nation toward freedom for all people. I labor to go beyond the dehumanization of human beings slavery imparted on our nation, to see and understand the ordinary folk who worked together towards the common goal of building a new nation. This is not a black story or a white story it is an American story and I for one am standing up with a grateful heart and appreciation for all of our ancestors for their selfless contributions to build America. I want to learn more, build new friendships as I travel the backroads in search of "we the people" with gratitude and peace.
