Ashleigh Branch, Vice President of the Black Students Association, brought in numerous Gospel choirs from the Elgin area to sing at Gospel Fest, an annual event hosted by her club. She believed that starting February month with gospel music was extremely important.
“This music is a way for our community to come together,” Branch said.
Choirs such as the Second Baptist Church Ensemble, the Bethesda Sunshine Band (a children’s choir), the Saint James A.M.E Church Choir and the Bethesda C.O.G.I.C Mass Choir all performed pieces of Gospel music in front of a large and energetic crowd.
The evening’s Minister of Ceremonies was Jeff Hughes, who also believed in the importance of the celebration of Gospel music as part of African-American culture.
“I think it’s natural that the first celebration (of Black History Month) would be a Gospel music celebration because it’s rooted in our history," said Hughes. "It’s a part of who we are as African- Americans. It was the right thing to do.”
On that evening, all of ECC was able to get a small taste of the power of Gospel music, and according to Hughes, anyone can get a lot out of that.
“You hear it all the time; music is the universal language,” Hughes said. “Even if you don’t understand or agree with (what’s being said), you can connect with [the music itself].”
The Second Baptist Church Ensemble starts off a heavy night of live Gospel music with a song of praise in the ATC auditorium on February 6.
The children of the Bethesda Sunshine Band please the crowd with their optimistic hymns.
A baritone from the Saint James AME Church Choir leads the audtorium in song.
An acappella song quiets the crowd.
The Bethesda Sunshine Band and Mass Choir bring the night to a close by combining for one final song
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