"For those of us like myself whose ancestors
were born in slavery in America, the old
Negro spirituals hold within them the key
to our African American cultural heritage
and America's oral history." -Calvin Earl
| Calvin Earl ensured the destiny of the humble spiritual as part of American history, when he succeeded in moving the US Congress in 2007 to a unanimous vote to recognize the African American Spiritual as a National Treasure. The US Senate awarded him a Certificate of Appreciation for his Distinctive Service to our Nation, and in 2008, President George W. Bush presented him with a Presidential Proclamation. | |||
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.
