What are you prepared to do?

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The words hemorrhaged from his mouth, seconds before death, in the face of a seemingly impossible fight; words of inspiration, a mocked challenge against faith and courage right at death’s door. Connery’s fictionalized question is appropriate in real life, just seconds into the Obama presidency. And while it is not the newly anointed president’s responsibility to lead a national dinner discussion on race, class and gender politics, it is nice of him to set the table.
Today, the stakes in America mimic those faced by Ness and his fictionalized gang. And this challenge echoes through Martin Luther King’s hills and hamlets as we inherit Obama’s presidency with earnest gusto. What are we prepared to do? democratic dialogue is a great start to that conversation and our commitment to true social change. And a noble example of this format for change is Called To Be One: Seeing the Face of God in Each Other, a musical performance and dialogue with acclaimed vocalist and composer Rene Marie and Veterans of Hope co-founder, Dr. Vincent Harding, hosted by Saint John’s Cathedral in Denver, Colorado last evening. For more information, please go to: http://called2beone.blogspot.com/.
Once again, President Obama has made the call, offered the challenge and set the table. No matter the metaphor, the conversation has begun. And with the help of the great Dr. Harding and the controversial Rene Marie, a small diverse crowd gathered in the Episcopal Cathedral to heed that challenge and experience the inspiration that is art for social change. This gathering of people were prepared to have that democratic dialogue and help to re-invent an America that is committed to healing and hearing stories.
In an effort to level the contextual field, Dr. Vincent Harding, former speech writer and companion to Dr. Martin Luther King, and Rene Marie, composer who made international news last year for her replacement of the National Anthem with the words from “Lift Every Voice And Sing,” led a wonderful dialogue last night as part of the Episcopal Church’s ongoing series on race class and gender. As background, Marie’s creative and bold switcheroo took place at the Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper’s State of the City Address in 2008, and was followed by everything from adulation to outrage towards Marie’s decision. I personally thought the move was, as the kids would say, Gangsta.
Harding and Marie’s leadership sparked an inspiring discussion about all of the topics that are making headlines in this country at this moment. However the common denominator was democratic dialogue. While the sanctuary was filled with multi-culti faces of the choir, our hearts were filled up as the room swelled with the sounds of Ms. Marie’s Voice Of My Beautiful Country suite, inspired by the patriotic hymns of our American songbook, My Country ‘Tis of Thee, America The Beautiful and Lift Every Voice and Sing.
Greg Movesian, Canon Steward for the Episcopal Cathedral, introduced the program, welcoming us with a challenge to answer the divine call, and follow the leadership of our new president on the topic of dialogue and the ways we engage one another on important topics. The discussion was about the sharing of stories, beginning with Rene Marie’s. Dr. Vincent Harding, who among other accolades wrote the book There Is A River, a testimony of the Civil Rights Movement, moderated the discussion and introduced sister Marie’s musical suite. He began by inquiring who was in the crowd: How many of you were born in the 21st century? Just a few pudgy hands went up in the air. How many of you are under 35? Even fewer of us raised our hands. Over 65? This got a rousing response with a few chuckles. How many of you have grandparents that were born outside the Unites States? These questions clearly were tools to help us identify ourselves in this space, as we prepared for our conversation with Ms. Marie.
Rene Marie, a tall and impressive woman with a short graying natural proceeded to explain her story, which included a revelation upon being interviewed in Moscow years ago, that she didn’t necessarily feel “American.” This feeling stuck with her as she fought her way through a creative career and came to a creative head last year when it was clear that an African American man was a strong contender for President of the United States. Inspired by Barack Obama’s steady climb, Marie completed what would be the Voice of My Beautiful Country suite, a haunting and redemptive piece that solidified the dichotomy of feelings many in this country feel about our native land.
Without rehashing the incident of last year, but allowing us to hear some of the email responses after, Ms. Marie, along with Mark Simon on Bass, Jeff Jenkins on piano and Paul Romaine on drums flowed through the suite, gracefully moving from one American musical form to the next, culminating in the moving rendition of Lift Every Voice and Sing, the portion that sparked controversy in 2008.
The venue of the Episcopal Cathedral was a wonderful component, accessible and welcoming. The Episcopal Church, having a tremendously rich history in the American led triangle trade, is a fitting host for this act of healing as we heed the President’s call and move to tell our own stories.
We all settled in to receive Rene Marie’s Voice of My Beautiful Country. The suite started like most classical contemporary instrumental hymns, slow and building.
Ms. Marie sang the familiar Oh Beautiful for Spacious Skies, building much like the beginning of Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. The bass and drums kindled sparks of composition as the first portion tasted much like past renditions. Then came My Country Tis of Thee- a blues. This second part grumbled low, reminiscent of other slow blues, Aretha’s Dr. Feelgood, something you might hear at the Whole Note or the old Rossonian. It was slow like the river Dr. Harding wrote about many years ago, complete with a complementary bass line and rim shot. Finally, Ms. Marie settled gracefully into Lift Every Voice And Sing, still like mourning, but growing to a familiar universe of rejoicing sound. If you have any experience in the black church, you can close your eyes and imagine how the suite ended, those words of celebration that a white woman responded to with a testimony that the Negro anthem held no references to bombs or red glare, just survival and shine. Every note, every syllable, came out steady over a the growing roll of the drummers tympani-like triumph. The bass, acting out on the bottom, formed a foundation that Marie’s voice didn’t require, but welcomed, nonetheless. Then the bass, followed by the piano, picked up speed, like the rapids in the narrow part of Harding’s river, picking up the pace; and just in time for America the Beautiful, hauntingly halting with from sea to shining sea.
After the suite completed, Dr. Harding rose. If you are unfamiliar with the man’s steez, it is important to know that he is serious about his democratic engagement, his respect for people’s stories and his passion for active listening. He held us in silence for what seemed like an eternity, the last chords still echoing over the crowd in the lofty sanctuary. His first words were golden:
Who are these people who have marched on from slavery to the presidency?
He then explained that this was the beginning of our time during the program to say what the song meant to us and share our stories. He slowly asked that we patiently make our way to the mics, say our complete name and explain where we grew up. Stories. He asked that we have a dialogue with Ms. Marie and tell what the suite did to us. Dee from Five Points in Denver hit it with the first remark by saying, “this suite has been instrumental in igniting a sense of pride I have never felt in my life.” What followed, while testimony from and to the choir, was an outpouring of guilt, redemption, history and inspiration. The crowd was highly moved by Rene Marie’s story and composition. And it was clear that we were all prepared to begin our fight towards social change with democratic dialogue. Naturally, there was enough positive energy to last till Sunday’s services, but we had to cut it short at two and a half hours. After all, Dr. Harding explained, true democracy must keep its promise and we promised we would be done in two hours.
Having had this experience and in sharing it with the Archive, I ask the reader and the larger audience, are we armchair political wonks and Monday morning quarterbacks? Or are we players for change, establishers of a new America? Participants in a new conversation. What are we prepared to do? How bad do we want to redeem ourselves from a violent history and forgotten soldiers of faith and change? For me, it begins with democratic dialogue. And I challenge myself, my colleagues, loved ones and adversaries to step out of our collective comfort zone of complacency. Heed our leader’s challenge and spark that dialogue where it seems most impossible.
For information about upcoming events hosted by Saint John’s Cathedral, please visit: http://called2beone.blogspot.com/.



All Power To The People

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