BRATTLEBORO — Why the war on “Kumbaya”?
In the last week I have read columnists in The Commons (Patience Merriman), the Reformer (Peter Funt), and The New York Times (Frank Bruni) using this song of the civil rights movement as a symbol for doing nothing - or responding weakly.
I believe these writers betray a lack of knowledge this song and the role of music in social and political movements in general.
I would hope the people of southern Vermont, with their strong commitment to music and the arts, clearly understand that song can be a powerful response to injustice and oppression.
“Kumbaya” - not to mention “We Shall Overcome,” “This Little Light of Mine,” and countless others - have been sung, arm in arm, as activists have strengthened themselves for dangerous and selfless disruptions of racist, militarist, and oppressive structures.
These songs - and those of many other cultures - have been sung in honor of those murdered as a result of taking extremely courageous stands to liberate the oppressed, protect the environment, and organize the powerless.
These songs have been sung in the face of hatred and danger.
These songs have made a difference as people braced themselves to make difficult decisions about their level of commitment and sacrifice.
A 2011 episode of the public radio show and podcast “On Being” offers a piece of history recounted by Vincent Harding, one of the giants of the civil rights movement. As Dr. Harding says in the interview, “You will never hear 'Kumbaya' the same way again.”
In the Nov. 23 Commons, we have Tim Stevenson arguing for a “change out of our heads and into our hearts” in order to break through our paralysis as we respond to climate change. On the same page, Patience Merriman is arguing against “Kumbaya” and advocating the use of “dog shit” and “razor blades.”
I go with Mr. Stevenson's call to activate our hearts, our courage, and our imaginations. Music is part of this. Ms. Merriman's recipe for disruption is the classic call of the provocateur to undermine a movement and have it dismissed as criminal behavior.
I would much rather go down with a guitar in my hand than a bag of dog shit and razor blades.