Let my people go . . . speaking truth to power

As attacks on history ramp up and many on the right threaten a bishop who dared to speak truth to power, it seemed appropriate to kick off Black History Month this Saturday with a musical reminder that the bishop is following the lead of Moses who “mixed religion and politics” when he told Pharoah to “let my people go.”

Moses before the Pharaoh, a 6th-century miniature from the Syriac Bible of Paris (Wikimedia)

Go Down Moses, sung here by the Harlem Gospel Singers, is one of the great spirituals of the Civil Rights Movement, and it helped galvanize a generation.

Politics, religion, and the fight for freedom have always been intertwined. Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around calls out several political actors and policies of the day.

“Ain’t gonna let segregation turn me ’round,
turn me ’round,
Ain’t gonna let segregation turn me ’round,
I’m gonna keep on a-walkin’, keep on a-talkin’,
Marching up to freedom land.”

Mavis Staples takes a similar stance in We Shall Not Be Moved.

The bishop called for mercy, which is as fundamental a belief as there is in the Christian faith. As one commentator noted, however, decency and kindness and mercy and truth are just signs of weakness to many of today’s so-called political leaders. “Blaming is not leading. Sticking to your bash-the-other-side talking points is marketing, not leadership. We deserve better.”

As seen in the 2015 movie Selma, the Civil Rights Movement—and American resistence—has long seen a mixing of politics and religion. Ledisi’s solo rendition of Take My Hand, Precious Lord captures “the soul, the spirit, the love, the prayer” of the song that has uplifted and encouraged so many fighting for freedom.

We are in for four years of gaslighting, lies, and hypocrisy. After conservative weaponizing of religion for centuries, we’ll hear now that progressive spiritual voices should be quiet. But Sweet Honey in the Rock knows better. As the old spiritual says, “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize.”