For this book Let It Shine, I chose three of the most popular spirituals. “This Little Light of Mine, I’m Going to Let it Shine”, “When the Saints Go Marching In”, and “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”. Now this is my sixth selection from the body of spirituals — the spirituals because slaves were not permitted to learn to read or write. These songs are extraordinary. Their instruments were taken from them, they worked from dark of the day to the dark of the night. But they had this freedom of the mind which was a gift. They had to be expressive in some way, to offer something creative of their lives. And they created this song called spirituals, you see.
These songs are now loved and sung throughout the world. I have always wanted to get them out in ways in which I can do the pictures to them. I’ve always felt that the incredible gift of language to a people who were not permitted to learn to read or write and they could create songs based on what they heard of biblical stories and of their own experiences and create a music that has just taken hold of people wherever. Our concert singers have taken those songs throughout the world. When I studied in France and in Germany, the students sang spirituals. They knew them well. In our country somehow they’re often called traditional or American folk tunes. They’ve entered the hymnals of all denominations.
But when you turn to the back of the book to find the song, “Let us Break Bread Together on our Knees,” it says: traditional, American folk tune. You still don’t know that it comes from black slaves. Wherever I travel in the United States I ask the children, “Anyone here know a black American spiritual? American folk tune, you know a black American folk song?” No hands will go up. But then if I sing, “He’s got the whole world,” they sing me down. “This little light of mine,” they sing me down. They know the songs. They are not taught historically so they do not know. Many adults love and sing them and are surprised when I say, “Oh, that’s a spiritual.” “Let us break bread together — oh, we sing that at communion in our church. That’s a spiritual?” They’re surprised.