Howard Godfrey, The Musical Offering’s composer, typically writes musical theater works. But when the community music school’s artistic director, Rick Ferguson, approached him to write an orchestral piece to accompany Langston Hughes’ 1924 poem “Youth” for Evanston’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, he took on the task.
Godfrey said composing something short to go along with the 28-word poem allowed him more creative freedom. He added that he didn’t want to take inspiration from previous pieces based on the poem.
“I tried to detach myself from any other interpretations of the poem, and just felt and lived with what was already there in terms of words,” he said.
After just two rehearsals during which he joined The Musical Offering’s orchestra to sing the poem, they premiered the composition on Saturday at the city’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day event.
The event, hosted by the Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, brought together nearly 200 community members. This year’s theme was “Honoring the Brave Young People of the Movement.”
Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre Artistic Director Tim Rhoze said he chose the theme to highlight young people’s contributions to society.
He pointed out that Martin Luther King Jr. was only 26 years old when he became a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement, leading the Montgomery bus boycott after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger.
Communication sophomore Brooks Lansana led the event as its host and keynote speaker. Rhoze said he picked Lansana, an intern at the community center, because of his “enthusiasm and sincerity” about participating in the celebration.
Lansana spent his keynote speech telling the stories of young activists during the Civil Rights Movement.
“During this unprecedented era, an unjustifiable number of youthful activists lost their lives in the struggle,” he said. “Undeterred, these young activists continued to strive for change by engaging in nonviolent protests, demonstrations, boycotts, then civil disobedience in public spaces, educational institutions and on the streets.”
He spoke of Emmett Till, who was lynched in Mississippi at the age of 14 and whose death became the movement’s “foundational catalyst,” mobilizing students through organizations like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
“Emmett Till did not have the opportunity to live to see the ages of 15, 17 or 19, as I am,” Lansana said. “His tragic death — his murder — served as a push, strengthening the Black community’s efforts against racial violence.”
He also told the stories of Ruby Bridges, who at 6 years old, in 1960, became the first Black student to attend an all-white school in New Orleans, and Freeman Hrabowski III, who in 1963, joined thousands of young Black activists as part of the Children’s Crusade, peacefully protesting segregation in Birmingham, Alabama.
Lansana also highlighted several key events that led to the deaths of young people, including the bombing of Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church by the Ku Klux Klan.
“It’s vital to remember the young victims,” he said.
Alongside honoring the youth activists of the Civil Rights Movement, the celebration featured several performances by young people. Aside from The Musical Offering, Ayodele Drum & Dance, singer Treasure Theodore, MC4 Music and the Evanston Children’s Choir performed.
Evanston Township High School sophomore Mahin Goel conducted ECC’s two songs. Goel said the most “rewarding” part of the event was leading the choir, offering an opportunity to “practice what it’s like to be a leader.”
Mayor Daniel Biss also spoke at the celebration and called attention to youth activism in Evanston today. Biss said in these “dark” times, where people are targeted based on the color of their skin or the language they speak, he is constantly inspired by the actions young people are taking in the city.
“We trust you, and we know the world that you will build is one that we have ourselves not yet built, but the world that we crave, the world that Dr. King described,” Biss said to the youth of Evanston.
Evanston resident Yvonne Smith, a retired high school teacher, said she enjoyed seeing young people express themselves and understand Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.
She emphasized that the work the civil rights leader set out to do isn’t finished yet.
“I don’t think we’ve seen all of what he had in mind, we’re still working toward it,” Smith said. “It’s important for our community, for young people, to continue to remember him and celebrate him.”
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