Local voices read "God’s Trombones" at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center
Working in the full swing of the Harlem Renaissance, poet James Weldon Johnson found inspiration in a uniquely African American tradition: the oratory stylings of what he called “the old time Negro preacher.”
In his famous collection, God’s Trombones, Johnson reimagines sermons from African American preachers as poetry. The collection is now classic, and poems like “The Creation” and “The Prodigal Son” display the full power and resonance of African American oratory.
This Sunday, in recognition of Black History Month, Jazzanooga and The Bessie Smith Cultural Center are hosting a performance of God’s Trombones.
The poems will be read aloud by local women who have made significant contributions to their communities, including Tenesha Irvin, Lakweshia Ewing, Karen Lynn McReynolds, Dionne Jennings, Karitsa Mosley Jones, Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod, and Chantelle Roberson.
If you’ve been looking for a way to honor and celebrate African American history during February, this event is not to be missed. Rather than silently reading God’s Trombones on a page, come hear it as Johnson intended it to be heard—performed with emotion and feeling to a responsive audience.
God’s Trombones
Sunday, 3 p.m.
Bessie Smith Cultural Center
200 E. MLK Blvd.
(423) 266-8658
bessiesmithcc.org