KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — A video going viral on social media is sparking some controversy about a recent choir concert at Western Michigan University.
The performance by WMU voice faculty and student ensembles was called, “Spirituals: From Ship to Shore” and took place at the Dalton Center Recital Hall on February 19th. It was part of Western’s Live and Interactive series presented by the Donald P. Bullock Music Performance Institute and highlighted special guest artist John Wesley Wright. According to Western’s website, the mission of the Bullock Performance Institute is to “add to the already rich cultural life of Kalamazoo by creating opportunities to develop closer personal and artistic ties between audience and performer.”
The university says Wright is “Known for his artistic and soulful interpretations of music from Baroque to Broadway” and that The Journey of African-American Song is “a participatory experience designed to foster the development of community using African-American song traditions.”
Shaylee Faught, who is a fourth year student at WMU, attended the concert for a convocation credit and was “very disappointed” with the performance, according to an email posted on her Instagram.
She shared several videos on her Twitter page with one saying, “So apparently Western Michigan University thinks it’s ok for white peoples to sing negro spirituals while the instructor talking about ‘these songs don’t belong to one race.’ They sure as hell do.”
Faught sent an email to WMU’s Dean as well as to the university’s Dean of Fine Arts, the Board of Trustees, the Director of the School of Music, and the office for diversity and inclusion expressing her frustration. Part of her email stated, “While I understand the importance of education, I think there is a fine line between appreciation and appropriation, and the concert last night seemed very inappropriate.”
She went on saying, “As a black woman, Negro Spirituals are apart of my history and my culture, and it signifies the struggle and hardships my ancestors went through. The way the program last night was portrayed is that it is all fun and games and is merely entertainment.”
Faught claims that the instructor Wright, who is African American, said, “These songs don’t belong to one ethnicity” and explained how these songs were “for slaves to get them through the day.”
In her email she asks for a public apology from the school of music, argues that Wright should never be asked back, and insists that the next time a performance is put on like this the students from the actual culture should be consulted to make sure nothing is offensive.
“Spirituals: From Ship to Shore” featured songs like “Wade in de Water,” which can be heard in Faught’s video, as well as “Go Down, Moses,” “Hammer, Ring” work song, and others.
UPDATE: Western Michigan University has now reached out to us for a comment regarding this story.
Statement from WMU:
“The concert was the culmination of a weeklong series of workshops with students, led by a renowned expert, John Wesley Wright. The concert Wednesday was an educational opportunity for students, faculty and the greater community to experience and learn about a critical part of African-American and U.S. cultural history.
We were pleased and honored to have Professor Wesley Wright of Salisbury University lead several University choral groups of students and faculty and also give a pre-concert talk about spirituals and their history in America.The public concert and weeklong series were an opportunity for students of any background to understand a critical part of U.S. history, a part of history that is probably not talked about enough in the general population. This concert, this series, reflected what inclusion is all about.
As a member of the audience, a student in attendance was concerned about what she experienced. She made those concerns known on social media and sent an email to WMU leadership. We take the student’s concerns very seriously. WMU’s vice president for diversity and inclusion reached out to the student within hours of receiving the email and set up a meeting with her and with the dean of the College of Fine Arts for early next week. This student’s perspective is real and it is important. It is one among many different perspectives.
We don’t have much more to say before we talk to her and that has not yet occurred.”
We also spoke with Faught who said she was happy that this incident was getting awareness and she hopes that this “starts the conversation that needs to be heard.”
