FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Blair County NAACP Concludes Investigation of Chorus Concert Controversy
June 1, 2024
Overview:
The Blair County NAACP (“the Branch” or “Branch #2252”) received a flurry of complaints from Blair County citizens following a May 7th chorus concert at the Spring Cove Middle School. Complaints detailed that the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was removed from said concert the day before it was scheduled to be performed. Subsequent controversy attracted national news and NAACP PA State Conference attention. This document details the findings of Branch #2252’s official investigation of the matter and provides recommendations for all parties involved.
Historical and Cultural Context:
The NAACP’s website states that “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” (often referred to as “The Black National Anthem”) is a “hymn written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900. His brother, John Rosamond Johnson (1873-1954), composed the music for the lyrics.” The article details how “a choir of 500 schoolchildren at the segregated Stanton School, where James Weldon Johnson was principal, first performed the song in public in Jacksonville, Florida to celebrate President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.”
The Association page dedicated to this hymn explains how it has become synonymous with the NAACP’s “solemn yet hopeful appeal for the liberty of Black Americans” over the course of more than a century of activism. NAACP President/CEO Derrick Johnson reiterates this in a digital graphic: “It spoke to the history of the journey of African-Americans and for many Africans in the diaspora [who] struggled to get to a place of hope.”
According to an Altoona Mirror article on the issue in question, the relevance of this history is not lost on members of the Spring Cove Community. District parent and local pastor Stephen Hershberger told The Mirror’s Rachel Foor that “Lift Every Voice and Sing” can be found in more than 40 hymnals, “including most of the church hymnals in the Cove.”
Decision-Making Processes
Spring Cove School District (SCSD) Superintendent Betsy Baker and Middle School (SCMS) Principal Amy Miller removed the song the day before the concert. When asked why, Baker told reporters and the NAACP that “students were concerned about potential divisiveness and controversy.” We still can not confirm the exact verbiage used by students or parents who contacted the SCSD. We can confirm, however, that the District approved purchasing the song rights in the months prior.
Baker later told Branch President Andrae Holsey, “When it was included in the public concert is when it became an issue.” She continued to explain that “based on the Super Bowl, [parents and students] felt they were supposed to sing the National anthem, too.” She did not explain why that option wasn’t implemented into the program. Baker presumably was referencing online controversy over the hymn being sung at Super Bowl LVIII by musician Andra Day during pre-game performances. The National Anthem was performed at that same Super Bowl by Reba McEntire.
Still, it remains unclear why concerns were only raised the day before the concert. Baker provided mixed explanations to the Branch, stating that “we had an administrative meeting on Monday, where 4 or 5 people instantly contacted a principal.” Immediately after, she continued saying, “The Little League Field is where much of the conversation is happening.” This lack of clarity suggests that off-record discussions over the song occurred before May 6th.
Further discussions at that meeting, according to Baker, included concerns for student safety, although the district maintains that there was never a threat of physical violence from any specific member of the community.
Community Reactions:
Complainants who contacted the Branch repeatedly expressed how modifying the concert reflects broader issues of censorship. One parent wrote, “As a person who values education, I am enraged by this instance of censorship Shouldn’t students be provided with all kinds of histories and songs and cultures and languages and religions and be provided the chance to come to their own conclusion or opinion?” Another District parent replied to public School Board statements, asking, “How is censorship putting our children first?”
On the issue of threats, one Complainant left a message through the Branch’s official contact form: “When School Board President Troy Wright called the decision a ‘lose-lose situation,’ because parents were ‘threatening’ to pull their children from the concert over the song, he advocated to the whole school that a hymn (A hymn!) posed a ‘threat’ to a middle school concert.”
Most frequently, however, community members objected to the decision by referencing the SCSD Music Department Objective, which states, “Music does not teach your children WHAT to think; it teaches them HOW to think.” One parent wrote on this issue, “Music is meant to evoke emotions, to make us think, to help us grow… administrators decided that protecting the small-mindedness of a few is more important!” This complainant went on to cite a public comment by the administrators that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.”
Ultimately, we were unsuccessful in prompting the district to quantify the number of complaints received against performing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” The bulk of messages from Spring Cove community members suggest that the concerned individuals are what one parent called a “vocal minority.” One parent even wrote (on behalf of their child) that “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was the song they “looked forward most to performing.”
Comparative Treatment:
The May 7th concert included the hymn “Light of Grace,” suggesting the decision was not based on religious content but rather on perceived controversy specific to “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” When asked about the general value of religious songs in a public school setting, Baker told Holsey, “The songs are picked by our Music Department moreso for the musical value.” She added, “If you look at songs from over the years, [students] do sing hymns and songs from all kinds of different backgrounds.”
The District does offer the opportunity for students to sit out from other musical performances if it conflicts with their religious or other protected views. In a Letter to the Editor of The Mirror, a nearby-resident of Huntingdon, PA wrote, “If students can be excused throughout the school day to attend religious instruction, there should have been no problem if a few students opted out of singing that song in the concert.” The result, according to him: “a ‘win-lose’ situation that silenced voices who wished to sing that song.”
While reviewing earlier-listed comments in the context of this category, Branch Officers analyzed some of the Super Bowl-related controversy around this song. One comparison intrigued Officers in CBS’s “All about ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’,” article from February 11, 2024. In the article, James Weldon Johnson Foundation President Rufus Jones told CBS the song “was written and popularized decades before ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ became America’s national anthem in 1931.”
Recommendations
The Blair County NAACP, after investigating the matter described above and taking account of complaints filed/input provided to the Branch, makes the following recommendations:
- We invite SCSD Administrators to meet with Branch officers and create a plan for broadening racial sensitivity and inclusivity. We are willing and able to assist the District in planning and executing representative programs to bridge any cultural gaps between students and/or staff.
- We implore SCSD administrators to review existing policies to identify and rectify any that may marginalize minority students.
- We urge the Department of Education – Office of Civil Rights to review this situation and the reporting of similar incidents to ensure the SCSD adheres to state and federal guidelines on inclusivity and anti-discrimination.
- We invite the Heritage Department of the Pennsylvania State Police to conduct a comprehensive review of Spring Cove School District policies to ensure the safety of students amid racial/ethnic controversy.
- We urge Executive Director Chad Lassiter ( Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, or PHRC) to include the potential for race-related conflict in Spring Cove in his plan of action for responding to racial unrest in Central PA.
- We encourage anyone who feels they have experienced discrimination at the SCSD (or anywhere in Blair, Bedford, or Huntingdon counties) within the last 180 days to contact the PHRC.
- Community members in our area of operation may contact the Branch directly for further assistance. Branch officers have already met with PHRC and NAACP regional representatives to reasonably streamline the complaint process.
Conclusion
The removal of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” from a Spring Cove Middle School chorus concert has illuminated significant gaps in cultural sensitivity and inclusivity in our community. While the decision was made with the intention of maintaining order and comfort for all students, it had the effect of marginalizing minorities. Official responses after the incident effectively failed to address the broader community’s concerns. To fully rectify these oversights, we call for the implementation of inclusive policies, educational initiatives, and state agency oversight. Together, we can foster an environment where every student feels safe, fulfilled, represented, and empowered to succeed – in Spring Cove and beyond.
Blair County NAACP Branch #2252 