Music and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

*updated January 20, 2025*

​Over the course of my tenure with the Chattanooga Boys Choir, I have had many “favorites” – performances that have been artistically stunning, travels that have been eye-opening and breathtaking, and several opportunities to watch these young singers grow into musically mature and intellectually curious adults. My life and our community have been enriched many times over by their generous sharing of themselves in rehearsal and performance, as they create an artistic outcome that is truly greater than the sum of their parts.
 
One recent “favorite” occurred during the choir’s summer tour of 2016, when we presented a Civil Rights-themed program in the Civil Rights museums of Memphis TN, Birmingham AL, Montgomery AL, and Atlanta GA. While preparing the repertoire for our travels, I shared several stories about those who faced opposition and overcame adversity during the Civil Rights Movement, leading our nation in pursuit of ​the prized goal of equality. The conversations this sparked with the boys were incredible – they shared their admiration of these great leaders of the past, recognized those who were at work today with such efforts, and commented on how they themselves might be agents of change not only as leaders of tomorrow but as active youth today in their families, schools, and communities.
 
A song that captured the essence of their discussion was “Like a Mighty Stream” by Rollo Dilworth and John Jacobson, a setting of a portion of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s I Have a Dream speech where, paraphrasing the book of Amos, Dr. King states:
“We are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
So remarkable is this quote, it is etched into the memorial fountain at the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery AL and in the entryway of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC. Hearing a song of such gravity performed by these talented young people provides both hope and caution, as we balance the tensions of optimistic youth with present realities, casting both light and a pall on the shared hope that we are leaving our children with a world better than the one we inherited.
 
As the choir performed the piece in the bustling lobby of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, I was struck by this text after touring this remarkable museum, especially given Dr. King’s storied upbringing in Atlanta. While the boys were singing “Like a Mighty Stream,” I noticed some high school-aged students gesturing and pointing in the direction of the choir. A bit unnerved, I tried to ignore them and identify which of the boys had captured their attention, assuming it was not for a good reason (the boys will tell you of the importance we place on remaining focused on the performance/task at hand!). As I glanced inquisitively at the left edge of the choir, I was able to identify the subject of the audience members’ attention. Over the shoulders of those boys, etched into the wall just behind where they were performing, were the same words from Dr. King that we had been singing for the last several minutes – “Let justice roll, like a mighty stream…” In a rare break in character, in front of a lobby filled with tourists and audience members, I asked the boys to turn around and view the words after they finished the piece. An interesting mixture of glee and gravity came over the choir, as they realized more fully the impact of these words and the meaning that was added when we presented it together in our community of song.
 
The role of music in the U.S. Civil Rights movement and other historic moments such as the anti-Apartheid protests in South Africa and The Singing Revolution in Estonia is well-documented. Singing brings people together in an instant, further unifying their ability to bring about change and – literally and figuratively – giving voice to their concerns, outrage, hopes, and dreams. As a form of both personal expression and collective protest, freedom songs "play a strong and vital role in our struggle,” said Dr. King, “They give the people new courage and a sense of unity. I think they keep alive a faith, a radiant hope, in the future, particularly in our most trying hours”
 
Participation in the Chattanooga Boys Choir is so much more than preparing repertoire and learning proper singing technique (though we’re certainly proud of those as well!). Singing in the choir is an endeavor in which singers simultaneously exercise both achievement and humility, grit and grace, individual effort and communal benefit - both singing and listening - that transcends the lone effort of any one person. Numerous studies from recent years espouse the health benefits of singing, the increased neural activity observed in music-making, and the accelerated learning of the musically-oriented mind. However, I am reminded as we observe Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day that being a part of the choir allows tremendous growth of the heart. As the boys breathe life into a variety of pieces from different cultures, languages, time periods, and perspectives, and as they work side-by-side with others to create beautiful moments which can never be replicated, they are participating in something that makes them not just better singers and musicians, but provides them with a foundation to be outstanding global citizens and daily opportunities to practice this craft.
 
While “Aha!” moments of turning around and seeing the lyrics of a song you are singing emblazoned on the wall behind you are rare, it is not uncommon for the meaning and the message of such pieces to make their way from the boys’ voices and ears into their minds and hearts. Over the last several seasons, we have explored themes of strength, friendship, community and acceptance through repertoire spanning a variety of cultures and languages including Hebrew, Swahili, Arabic, Māori, Xhosa, and more. We have collaborated with community partners at work in our community with youth mental health, after-school mentorship programs, community food pantries, and those struggling with Parkinson's Disease. Each fall, the CBC hosts a Community Sing where hundreds of singers from across the area gather to learn, rehearse, and record a song that is shared with the world via social media on International Peace Day. A recent summer tour became a collaborative effort with our friends from the Chattanooga Choral Society for the Preservation of African-American Song, where multiple generations of singers toured to Civil Rights museums in Alabama and Georgia, sharing songs of resilience and hope.

Dr. King openly and enthusiastically recognized music's unique power to inspire individuals, unite communities, and to propel society toward change. It remains an honor to join you as we lend our voices collectively to the chorus calling for the best tomorrow that we can create together.

Ever Grateful,
Vincent Oakes
Artistic Director