Park University: Black History Month

Black History Month will be honored at Park University's Spencer Cave Black History Lecture Series throughout the month of February.

For more information, please call: (816) 584-6364.

or contact
Dr. Timothy Westcott
tim.westcott@park.edu

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The Fisk Jubilee Singers - In Concert

Fisk Jubilee Singers

The Fisk Jubilee Singers will appear in a free concert scheduled for February 3, 2008 in the Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel, Parkville Campus at 3:00 p.m. The event is sponsored by the International Center for Music and the Zeta Omicron Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society.

The Fisk Jubilee Singers are young men and women, vocal artists and students of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee who sing and travel worldwide.

The original Jubilee Singers introduced "slave songs" to the world in 1871 and were instrumental in preserving this unique American musical tradition known today as Negro spirituals.

They broke racial barriers in the US and abroad in the late 19th century and entertained Kings and Queens in Europe. At the same time they raised money in support of their beloved school.

In 1999, The Singers were featured in The American Experience, a PBS award-winning television documentary series. Produced by WGBH, Boston, the program is called Singers: Sacrifice and Glory.

This lecture series honors Spencer Cave who was born a slave at the start of the Civil War.

His parents belonged to Kentuckians named Cave who later sold his family to a plantation owner near Slater, Missouri.

Following their emancipation, the family moved to Westport Landing and then to a farm of their own. Spencer was 13 when his family settled in Parkville in 1875.

He later began working for Park University. Although Cave had no formal education, he was a wise and cultured man. Students often came to him for advice, and even years after their graduation, he rememb ered each student’s name. He died in 1947, having served Park for more than 70 years.

Students, educators, and citizens in the community are cordially invited to attend these free and informative presentations. Book signings follow each presentation.

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