“Lord, How Come Me Here?” - Negro Spiritual

The Negro Spiritual: My Perspective on America’s Early Music
The Negro spiritual holds a poignant beauty as it talks of hope whilst encapsulating the horrors Africans endured during the period of slavery in the Americas. I use the term “Negro” instead of “African American” in order not to dilute US history. I acknowledge that I am not black nor white, and therefore have no roots to the oppressed nor the oppressor in this specific context. My people know oppression, of course, in other contexts. My place in this performance is to serve as a vessel for black people’s pain, suffering, and connection to God in handling life’s excessive trials and tribulations- Pre-America to this very moment. It seems that these days, there is a push to gloss over our nation’s history. To ban books. Media. To censor the truth. The Negro Spiritual deserves to be sung far and wide- heard and listened to. We need to constantly remind ourselves where we have been as a nation so that we may chart a more humane path forward. May the atrocities of slavery never be forgotten, and may they never be repeated. As profound as that previous statement is, I must acknowledge modern-day slavery is a beast that is alive and well. It breaks my soul to understand that human beings can relate directly to these words, today. For many individuals, the utmost joy is no longer felt by hoping for a better life- simply in dreams of a peaceful death.
-Julie-Michelle Manohar
Soprano: Julie-Michelle Manohar
Recorded on March 5th, 2024. Studio Class. Kulas Hall. Cleveland Institute of Music.