Long Island gospel voices to ring out in Hempstead concert supporting grassroots social justice

On a rainy Tuesday night, gospel voices from across Long Island cried out in unity from a dimly lit Hempstead church gym — striking harmonies that bring to mind the fight for liberation and the hope for a brighter day.

"He has brought me a mighty long way," sang the Unity In Christ Choir, to an upbeat tune. "He has taught me how to pray."

That evening, the vocal ensemble of roughly 20 singers — both young and old, recruited from a range of churches and communities — swayed, clapped, rejoiced, and stomped as they sang songs such as "Total Praise" to worship but also to issue a clarion call for change.

The Unity in Christ Choir will hold a concert next week at the United Methodist Church of Hempstead, with proceeds supporting social justice initiatives in Nassau County, including voter outreach. Tickets are $35 for adults and $15 for children.

The Corridor Counts, a grassroots social justice organization in Nassau County, is sponsoring the concert to help with voter registration and fundraising. The Corridor area is sometimes referred to as a stretch of communities that include Uniondale, Roosevelt and New Cassel that have dealt with structural inequalities.

In many ways, such concerts, through linking Black gospel music to the social and spiritual upliftment of people of African descent, have a long history that continues today, choir members say. This one, they say, is a way to push for justice in the face of what they feel to be attacks on the teaching of Black history and the social safety net.

"This concert is aimed ... to strengthen the bonds that found nearly the entire world on their knees saying George Floyd's name, and to try and renew the spirit that this is just not a moment, but it is indeed a movement that requires steadfastness," said Frederick K. Brewington, a Long Island civil rights attorney and a baritone in the choir.

He later added: "Our artists have always been at the forefront of movements."

George Floyd was killed while in Minneapolis police custody after a police officer, later convicted of murder, knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes on May 25, 2020. His death triggered protests throughout the country over how Black people were treated by police.

Negro spirituals like "Go Down Moses" and "Wade in the Water" are believed to have contained coded messages of how enslaved people could reach freedom, according to the Library of Congress.

Songs like "Go Tell It on the Mountain" were a rallying cry during the civil rights movement. Aretha Franklin and other artists with gospel roots held concerts in support of the movement.

The Dec. 13 concert continues the lineage of linking social justice work to religion, choir members said.

"Gospel music continues to be that driving force behind us being able to know there's a better tomorrow in times like these," said Rahsaan Cruse Jr., director of the Unity in Christ Choir. "It allows us to know that ... there's something to hold on to during those tough times."

Basked in the red glow from stage lights in the gym, Cruse energetically guided the choir through melodies at the rehearsal on Tuesday — motioning for band members to play, singing parts with stomping rhythm, and providing some light comedy.

Cruse, also a Long Island-based jazz musician, said he hopes the music will be a source of light in what he regards as dispiriting times.

The concert will feature a range of selections, including traditional gospel, Caribbean-influenced pieces, hymns, and holiday music. Many members of the choir, he said, were recruited by other churches or asked to join.

"This is a way just to uplift our communities," he said.

Hikeam Hankins, a Uniondale resident and a member of the council, said he hopes the concert is a source of upliftment in struggling times when, historically, he said, "We go back to the church."

"Us, especially in struggling times with the administration, families being torn apart, people being separated, rights being violated, it’s a way for people to come together to believe that there is a higher purpose and that a better tomorrow will come," he said in the church’s basement.

Back at the rehearsal, that message was not lost on Queens resident Lorraine Bishop, who is a soprano in the choir.

Bishop, 29, said the gospel gives her grounding, and performing with community members who might be affected by different social justice issues helps cultivate a richer sound.

"We’re not just singing for the holiday spirit," she said. "But we’re also singing to lift the spirits of others. We’re singing for our family. We’re singing for our communities."

Westbury resident Rosemarie Walker said Black people express their faith through song.

"Whether it’s with joy or even with sadness, sometimes we’re just moaning or groaning or just humming," said Walker, a soprano in the choir. "It helps us, or it helps me to get through the day."

The same voice, she said, can empower the "community to see that they don’t have to be silent, that they can raise their voice as well."