Beams of heaven as I go Through this wilderness below Guide my feet in peaceful ways Turn my midnights into days.
—Charles Albert Tindley
This week, I returned to Cleveland, Ohio to celebrate the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Walter “Bud” Humphrey, the long-time pastor and former choir director at our family church, the New Joshua Missionary Baptist Church.
Although I was saddened by the news of his passing, I must also admit that I was overjoyed to join my four sisters, my brother, and dozens of other members of our extended Christian family in singing at a Friday, April 6, 2018 musical tribute to Pastor Humphrey.
That musical and the other events of this weekend reminded me of everything that I love most about the Black Church, including the power of place, the sense of community, and the message in the music.
Next Week, I plan to head home to Maryland’s Montgomery College, where I will have the honor of teaching “Listen Up! From Gospel to Liturgical Jazz,” a new class that I designed. Needless to say, I am grateful for another opportunity to teach and to learn, and some of the lessons that I learned in Cleveland have earned a place on the course syllabus!
I will always be indebted to Charles A. Tindley–composer of “Beams of Heaven” –one of Pastor Humphrey’s favorite songs, Duke Ellington, Thomas Andrew Dorsey, James Cleveland, Shirley Caesar, Aretha Franklin, Lonzrine and Nathaniel Williams, Sr. (my parents), Portia Maultsby, A. Grace Lee Mims, and, of course, Walter “Bud” Humphrey. They are among the people who taught me to love music and helped me to find my own voice as an educator and a writer, and I really appreciate it.
The more I learn about Gil Scott-Heron, the more I admire him. I have long been familiar with his work as a poet, pianist, composer, spoken word artist, and the youthful voice of Black protest in the 20th century. It was not until 2017, however, that I discovered how much he had in common with another great writer, Langston Hughes.
The RASHAD Center, Inc. 