20 February 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The story of the Negro spiritual is closely linked to the history of African Americans.
Spirituals like “Wade in the Water,” “The Gospel Train,” and “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” are directly linked to the Underground Railroad, helping slaves run to freedom.
Spirituals sung by choirs helped historically Black colleges and universities raise money to support educational institutions in the 1800s and early 1900s.
ARISE is an acronym for African Americans Renewing Interest in Spirituals Ensemble. It started in Wichita and is spreading its message through Kansas and the country. The ensemble has a blended sound of voices accompanied by piano.
Joe Brown is the founder and former director, and Sheila Kinnard is a charter member. Together, this mother and daughter duo know the history of the ensemble because they are part of it.
“When I came to Wichita, nobody was singing Negro spiritual,” Brown said.
“Thirty-six years ago, I was just glad to be in the number,” Kinnard said.
For more than three and half decades, ARISE has delivered performances of Negro spirituals.
“The stories behind the spirituals are very captivating,” Brown said.
“To hear music that uplifts you and has a message of unity and hope, even though they are slave songs, even though they are work songs, they still are songs that gave hope because back in the day, the slave knew there was a better day for him, and that is the day we sing to,” Kinnard said.
“Just like Tubman went and got one more person, that’s what we are doing on this journey of the spiritual,” Gerald Norwood, ARISE president, said.
The ensemble evolved over the years, both vocally and visually, and Gerald has been part of the process of diversifying.
“Where we take our music to reach people enables us to reach different audiences and get different audiences to hear us,” he said.
“If the choir represents the people we are singing to, they can identify better, and that is why we did not change the name, and we welcomed our white brothers and sisters of different faiths to come in,” Kinnard said.
The group was introduced in Wichita, raised in Kansas, and has grown to a national platform.
“The National Memorial Day Choral Festival absolutely fabulous,” Kinnard said.
Through their evolution, they have vowed to stick to their roots.
“The thing about ARISE, the faces have changed, but the message remained the same,” Norwood said.
“We’ve gotten stronger; each one of us, each choir member, has been blessed to be part of ARISE,” Kinnard added.
ARISE has an annual Black History Month concert and fundraiser on the 26th, which helps them continue their mission.
The information can be found by clicking here.