Hidden Messages in Negro Spirituals on the Underground Railroad™

Connie begins this presentation with the definition of a Negro Spiritual. Then, audience members are drawn in with stories of secrecy surrounding hidden messages inside the lyrics of several beloved, Pre- and Post-Civil War era songs. Interactive slides provide historical information and mystery of the who, what, where, and how special songs were used, and in what circumstances they aided freedom seekers to navigate and escape safely to freedom in Canada during 1850-1865, the end of the Civil War. 

Connie shares fascinating stories and recollections of songs’ meaning-embedded spirituals that were heard and sung most of her life and her mother's, noted historian Dr. Clarice Boswell, who played piano for 25 years in a Black church in Joliet, Illinois, during her youth. Many songs were used by ancestors; their meanings and interpretations have been passed down to her, a sixth-generation descendant of American slaves in Kentucky. Connie plays licensed-purchased recorded portions of several most popular songs sung in the South, and invites the audience to join in singing together. This engages the audience and draws them into the narrative and ideas in the presentation. 

During Q & A, the audience participants are invited to ask questions, comment, and share ideas. Many Black Churches and Non-Denominational churches still sing these songs during their services today.

The audience will learn how certain lyrics and human emotion sung in Negro Spirituals were utilized to inform freedom seekers to know when and how to escape from the bondage of slavery in the South. By defining Negro spirituals, showing the origins, and following along as the songs play, the audience can understand certain songs' meanings and interpretations of why they were used on plantations of the South. Hearing the songs will create a better understanding of the intelligent planning of enslaved African Americans and abolitionists, both Black and White, to assist freedom seekers to get to Canada. 

As Connie now does, since her mother passed the song's hidden messages down to her, she hopes that attendees will share this knowledge with others and better understand the culture of Black people through a closer look at a portion of our American musical history that gave inspiration, spirituality, and courage to live free.