UCC - African American Spirituals

Here is a link to a radio show about the origins of the African American Spiritual: www.speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/joecarter

It aired on the radio a week ago Saturday. It is very informative. Many of the words of the Spirituals were code so that the Master would not know that the slaves were planning to run away. They seemed to be talking about death and dying and the "promised land" but it was leaving for the north. Also the slaves were used to idols that they could pray to in order to pass into the other world. They accepted Jesus as one of the idols who might help them. This is paraphrasing what I heard on the show, if you listen to the clip you might hear the real story.

Jeannette E. Brown