Author: Edin River Swann
My name is Edin River Swann, and I did some marketing work experience with Anti Racist Cumbria, back in October 2022. I learned lots and wrote this article about Black History Month and about my discovery of my own Jamaican heritage. My whole family on both sides were raised in Batley in West Yorkshire, however, my Granddad (my dad’s dad) is half Jamaican and came over to the UK in the early 1960s, 9 years before my dad was born. I haven’t had that much Jamaican influence since high school so I’ve personally found working with and for Anti Racist Cumbria interesting. In my day to day, I write music reviews and in this article I’ve been excited to blend these two things together! One of Anti Racist Cumbria’s biggest events is called the Anti Racist Cumbria Summit and it was held on the 10th November 2022. To start off the Summit, the Anti Racist Cumbria choir covered Sweet Honey In The Rock’s original song, “I’m Gon’ Stand”. This is a review of that performance.
The first thing that caught my attention was the snapping of the choir’s fingers to regulate the rhythm and to keep in time with each other. The thing I loved about this cover and performance was how the choir kept the original acapella ambience that the original has, this makes the performance very strong and it isn’t clouded by a thousand instruments and overproduced. The harmonies and vocals were very impressive, especially the overlapping vocals on the important lyrics was very powerful and it painted a picture of revolution against racism and people coming together. This song introduced me to the band Sweet Honey in the Rock too.
Who are Sweet Honey In The Rock?
Sweet Honey in The Rock is a collective and ensemble that was founded in 1973 by Dr Bearnice Johnson Reagan in Washington DC, of all African American women. This is an excerpt from their mission statement, “Sweet Honey In The Rock® seeks to preserve and extend the traditions of African American vocal music; to inspire a multidimensional-intergenerational audience to find and use their individual and collective voice to address the critical issues of our time, and to celebrate our common humanity.” This talks about their activism and how the group think music can aid activism, which is very empowering. They have an avid number of monthly listeners on Spotify at 164,060 listeners which denotes that they are reaching a large percentage of the population with their music, exposing that audience to their activism and mission.
They were founded in 1973, and have had numerous members over the five decades they have been active. “I’m Gon Stand” is an original song, and it is an anthem of the 1980s for the ensemble and a stand against racism, these are some lyrics that stand out to me. These lyrics repeat twice to make a point which is very influential.
“We shall not bow down to racism. We shall not bow down to injustice. We shall not bow down to exploitation
(Whatchya gonna do?) I’m gon’ stand. I’m gon’ stand”
Thanks for reading.
– Edin
