March 29 Oak Ridge concert will feature Fisk Jubilee Singers
The Fisk Jubilee Singers will be performing a benefit concert in Oak Ridge at the Historic Grove Theatre, 123 Randolph Road, at 6 p.m. March 29, which is Good Friday.
Proceeds from the concert will fund efforts to create a monument to honor the Scarboro 85, the Black students who desegregated Oak Ridge Schools.
Oak Ridge Schools were desegregated on Sept. 6, 1955, at the order of the Atomic Energy Commission - making them the first government-run schools in the Southeast to be integrated.
“It will be an unforgettable night of joy and celebration,” John Spratling, the chair of the Scarboro 85 Monument Committee, is quoted as saying in a news release about the event. The committee is seeking partnerships and sponsors for this benefit concert.
“After 68 years, it is time to honor national heroes in our city who helped change the course of history - the 85 brave students from the Scarboro Community - the first African American students to desegregate a public school in the Southeastern United States,” Spratling said. “We are working toward a vision! A permanent monument and historical interpretive site is being planned in Oak Ridge. This site will help reach the goals of the Scarboro 85 Monument Committee to preserve, educate, heal, and unify the community around the forgotten history of Oak Ridge.”
“Sponsorship efforts for this event will also help realize the goal of bringing this vision of the monument to life right here in Bissell Park. The proposed monument ties our profound history and beautiful future together, pairing cutting-edge technology with the faces and stories of those who came before us,” Spratling added.
The Fisk Jubilee Singers, students who attend Fisk University, an historically black college in Nashville, sing and travel worldwide. The original Jubilee Singers introduced "slave songs" to the world in 1871 and were instrumental in preserving this American musical tradition known today as Negro spirituals, according to the local news release. They broke racial barriers in the nation and abroad in the late 19th century and entertained kings and queens in Europe while raising money in support of their school.
The Fisk Jubilee Singers have performed for many heads of state, including Ulysses S. Grant and Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 2008, they were awarded the National Medal of Arts. During their 150th anniversary year in 2021, the Fisk Jubilee Singers received their first Grammy award, for best Roots Gospel album.
Individual tickets are $25, and there are four levels of sponsorship including in-kind service donations. Ticket sales begin on Wednesday, Jan. 31. Those with questions are asked to email Trina Watson at scarborocommunity24@gmail.com. Sponsorship donations can be mailed to United Way, PO Box 4158, Oak Ridge 37831. Make check payable to: United Way of Anderson County Scarboro 85 Monument. To get more information and to see a rendering of the proposed monument, go to www.scarboro85monument.com.
The Historic Grove Theatre is also the home of High Places Community Church.
This article originally appeared on Oakridger: March 29 Oak Ridge concert will feature Fisk Jubilee Singers
