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Music honoring the creativity, dignity, struggles and strengths of Black people in America filled the halls of the Petaluma Historical Library & Museum on Sunday.
Part of a gospel and R&B concert organized by the nonprofit Petaluma Blacks for Community Development, the event’s two performances at 3 and 5 p.m., attracted scores of attendees.
It was one of two events put on by the group during the final weekend of Black History month.
Sunday’s concert featured Sharon D. Henderson and Reflection, an East Bay group that performed gospel, jazz, and R&B songs which explored Black history, freedom, hope and equality.
Henderson and Reflection kicked off the night with the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a hymn, originally written in 1900 as a poem by future-NAACP Executive Secretary James Weldon Johnson. It was turned into a song with the music written by his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson.
“I love that we get to share our culture and history,” said Faith Ross, co-founder of Petaluma Blacks for Community Development and the concert’s organizer. “This is a special time.”
The group’s performance included Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” the song “Stand Up” from the biographical film “Harriet,” and the African-American spiritual “Lawd, How Come Me Heah?”
“When I sang ‘Lawd, How Come Me Heah’ this evening I wanted to sing from the soul of an enslaved women who is longing for freedom,” Henderson said. “I want people to try to understand what that might’ve felt like — the pain, suffering, hope, the longing for freedom. It’s important to honor the legacy of the people who went through this.”
Attendees stood up, danced and waved their hands joyfully in the air as the group’s lead singer sang soulfully into a microphone.
“It’s about committing to understanding the importance of our history,” Steven DeLue, a Petaluma resident, said of Sunday’s concert and the celebration of Black History month. “That history commands us to treat each other with respect. It’s traditions like this that uplift our community.”
Sunday’s event typically kicks off Black History month commemorations in Sonoma County. But this year it was postponed because the museum was closed until Feb. 18 due to COVID-19 protocols.
On Saturday, Petaluma Blacks for Community Development hosted a virtual “Black History Program,” which showcased a musical performance by hip-hop East Bay artist Kayatta Patton. She performed her original song “Mossed.”
“It talks about how America loves our culture, but doesn’t love us,” she said of the song. “It’s a play on language and words.”
Tyrell Zimmerman, a children’s author also was part of Saturday’s program. He read lines from his book “Carter: My Dream, My Reality” which focuses on violence and trauma, mental health and childhood post-traumatic stress disorder within the Black community.
“Anytime we can come together and celebrate my people is a plus,” Patton said. “Honestly, 28 days isn’t enough to capture the significance of our contributions to America we know, but it’s a pleasure to be a part of something that recognizes our excellence and accomplishments.”
The night also featured poems and speeches read by members of the Petaluma organization’s “Youth Leadership Program.”
The 2022 theme for this year’s Black History Month celebration, “Black Health and Wellness,” highlighted “activities, rituals and initiatives” established by Black communities to maintain mental and physical well-being.
You can reach Staff Writer Mya Constantino at mya.constantino@pressdemocrat.com. @searchingformya on Twitter.
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