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The Significance of Gospel Music to Social Activism in North Carolina

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The Significance of Gospel Music to Social Activism in North Carolina BOYD, LIBRA N., Ph.D. The Significance of Gospel Music to Social Activism in North Carolina. (2016) Directed by Dr. Kathryn Hytten. 204 pp. Using qualitative research methods and social movement theory, I explored the significance of gospel music to the Forward Together Moral Movement in North Carolina and the meanings the singers who perform the music apply to their roles and contributions. Five themes emerged from interviews with three gospel singers, field observations, and document/media analyses concerning the role of gospel music in the moral movement: intentionality, collective identity, music as hope, music as strength, and music as education. The study makes several contributions to the field of cultural studies. First, the singers provide a firsthand perspective to the literature on social movements. First-person narratives of gospel singers are far less common in the literature than the first-person narratives of their secular musical counterparts. Second, this study gives music scholars additional insights into the importance of gospel music and social movements through the eyes of the people who perform it. Third, the music of the moral movement and the study of its singers can serve as a teaching tool, adding culturally relevant perspectives to lessons in history, tolerance, and culture that are presently taught in American education. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF GOSPEL MUSIC TO SOCIAL ACTIVISM IN NORTH CAROLINA by Libra N. Boyd A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Greensboro 2016 Approved by Kathy_______________________________ Hytten Committee Chair © 2016 Libra N. Boyd To my mother, Margaret Williams Boyd, who challenges me to dream big and never doubts my ability to complete, with success, anything my hands find to do. I love you, Mother. ii APPROVAL PAGE This dissertation written by LIBRA N. BOYD has been approved by the following committee of the Faculty of The Graduate School at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Committee Chair _______________________________Kathy Hytten Committee Members _______________________________Silvia Bettez _______________________________Brian Clarida _______________________________Nathaniel Frederick, II ____________________________March 15, 2016 Date of Acceptance by Committee __________________________March 15, 2016 Date of Final Oral Examination iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A number of people have contributed to my professional and academic journey, and I am grateful for their support. I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to my dissertation chair, Dr. Kathy Hytten, whose professionalism, counsel, and encouragement have been consistent and invaluable. I am blessed to have had the experience of conducting this study under her direction. I am also thankful to the other members of my dissertation committee. Dr. Silvia Bettez’s eye-opening classes and intellectually engaging dialogue have been founts of inspiration and empowerment for me since the very first day I stepped on campus as a doctoral student. I have grown as a scholar because of her passion. Dr. Nathaniel Frederick, II shares my interest in adding to the scholarship on gospel music. Our conversations have been fruitful, and I am grateful that he graciously consented to be part of my committee. I also thank Dr. Brian Clarida for offering thoughtful considerations during the dissertation writing process. I am especially thankful to the New Hope Person Missionary Baptist Church family for their understanding and flexibility during this journey, and to friends and colleagues who have been listeners, cheerleaders, and voices of reason and accountability: Patricia Downey, Gloretta McNeil, Lynn Smith, and Cherese Childers- McKee. Additionally, I am appreciative to Dr. Lora Hodges and Dr. James Worsley, who both assured me that pursuing a doctorate while balancing family and work demands was entirely possible. iv What can I say about Robert Marovich? He is a scholar, mentor, and friend. I am grateful for his indispensible insights as a gospel music historian and for his genuine friendship. I extend heartfelt thanks to Reverend Dr. William Barber, II and Reverend Curtis Gatewood of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP for embracing my interest in studying gospel music within the context of the Forward Together Moral Movement. I express profound gratitude particularly to the gospel singers who took part in this study. Their stories inspired me to write with a greater sense of purpose. Penultimately, I am eternally grateful to my mother Margaret Williams-Boyd for nurturing my natural curiosities and encouraging me to pursue my dreams and interests. She deserves a gold medal for her patience during this journey. I am not sure how I can repay her, but I am sure she will tell me. Last and most significantly, I am abundantly blessed and especially thankful for the wisdom, strength, and peace of God to complete this part of my journey. When I began this process, I wrote two scripture passages on the first page of my dissertation notebook: “Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established” (Proverbs 16:3 King James Version) and “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). May the Lord forever establish my thoughts and direct my paths as I commit my works to Him. I am sustained by His amazing, abounding, and abiding grace. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE OF THE STUDY ....................................1 Research Problem ........................................................................................5 Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................7 My Background as Researcher ....................................................................7 Theoretical Underpinnings.........................................................................11 Social Movement Theory ...............................................................13 Significance of the Study ...........................................................................18 Summary ....................................................................................................19 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................21 Secular Music and Social Movements .......................................................22 Folk Music .....................................................................................22 Soul Music .....................................................................................27 Gospel Music and Social Movements........................................................31 Gospel Music and the Forward Together Moral Movement .....................39 Summary ....................................................................................................43 III. METHODOLOGY ..............................................................................................45 Research Questions ....................................................................................45 Research Paradigm.....................................................................................46 Research Design.........................................................................................47 Setting ............................................................................................48 Participants .....................................................................................49 Data Collection ..........................................................................................51 Semi-structured Interviews ............................................................51 Observations ..................................................................................53 Document/Media Analyses ............................................................55 Data Analysis .............................................................................................56 Trustworthiness ..........................................................................................58 Subjectivity ................................................................................................60 Ethical Considerations ...............................................................................64 Limitations .................................................................................................65 Summary ....................................................................................................67 vi IV. FINDINGS ON THE SINGERS' MUSICAL BACKGROUNDS AND INVOLVEMENT IN SOCIAL ACTIVISM ..........................................68 The Reverend Rodney Lavon Coleman, D.Min. .......................................70 Beginnings in Social Activism.......................................................74 Introduction to the Moral Movement .............................................76 Perceptions of Self as Activist .......................................................77 Claude Gardner ..........................................................................................79 Introduction to the Moral Movement .............................................82 Perceptions of Self as Activist .......................................................85 Sauuda Yejide Eshé ...................................................................................87
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