A study of gospel's influence on social awareness in a region of the
South that lacked a plantation economy Jerrilyn McGregory explores
sacred music and spiritual activism in a little-known region of the
South--the Wiregrass Country of Georgia, Alabama, and north Florida. She
examines African American sacred music outside of Sunday church-related
activities, showing that singing conventions and anniversary programs
fortify spiritual as well as social needs. In this region African
Americans maintain a social world of their own creation. Their cultural
performances embrace some of the most pervasive forms of African
American sacred music--spirituals, common meter, Sacred Harp,
shape-note, traditional, and contemporary gospel. Moreover, the contexts
in which they sing include present-day observations such as the
Twentieth of May (Emancipation Day), Burial League Turnouts, and Fifth
Sunday. Rather than tracing the evolution of African American sacred
music, this ethnographic study focuses on contemporary cultural
performances, almost all by women, which embrace all forms. These women
promote a womanist theology to ensure the survival of their communities
and personal networks. They function in leadership roles that withstand
the test of time. Their spiritual activism presents itself as a way of
life. In Wiregrass Country, "You don't have to sing like an angel" is a
frequently expressed sentiment. To local adherents, "good" music is
God's music regardless of the manner delivered. Therefore, Downhome
Gospel presents gospel music as being more than a transcendent sound. It
is local spiritual activism that is writ large and the good news that
makes the soul glad.
