The Freetown Village Singers of Indianapolis use music and stories to share African American history and culture. On Saturday, they brought that history to Vincennes with a performance at the St. James Performing Arts Center on Perry Street.
The group is part of Freetown Village, a living history museum that offers educational performances across the state. Tina Harris sings the alto part and is secretary of the Freetown Village Singers. She talked about how amazed audience members are when they see the group for the first time.
“First, we have the costumes, and they’re secondly amazed at the sound of the years and the stories that they hear, the knowledge that they gain,” Harris said. “I mean, they’re so well-informed when they leave. We actually stand around for a few minutes, a few hours or so, just talking about the history. They have a whole bunch of questions about 1870 and what we do, why we do it. We just want people to be filled with the knowledge of 1870 or Black history as we go along on this journey.”
The Freetown Village Singers perform songs with deep historical meaning, including spirituals tied to the Underground Railroad.
For more information about the group and their upcoming performances, visit freetownvillage.org.
