PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 6, 2023 – Grab your favorite snacks, turn up the volume, and take a journey with Sweet Honey in the Rock as she celebrates an awesome birthday.
Fifty years ago, four women used their voices as instruments to create soul-stirring songs with powerful social commentary. Sweet Honey in the Rock (SHIR) went on to become one of the most renowned a cappella ensembles in the world.
Their activism through song is in the tradition of Paul Robeson, and the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance/Paul Robeson House & Museum (WPCA) is celebrating the legacy of Sweet Honey in the Rock by sponsoring a 50th-birthday fundraiser on November 17, 2023. The WPCA is hosting an up-close-and-personal virtual experience with the ensemble from 7-8:30 pm.
Actresses/entertainers Phylicia Rashad and Kiki Shepard are co-chairs. Their presence heightens the excitement of this noted celebration.
“The music and message of SHIR has been an inspiration for me for a long time,” said Janice Sykes-Ross, executive director of WPCA. “I first met and saw them perform on Princeton’s campus back in the late 80s. They blew me away, and I have been a fan ever since. Like Robeson, they have been using their art as a way to inform, motivate, and inspire folks all over the world that we are the voice of change, and we can make a difference.”
“It’s rare to find any group that stays together for 50 years, but even rarer to find a group of African American women who have been together for 50 years,” said Louise Robinson, an original member of the ensemble. “Because we are mothers and wives and aunties with families, it has been through the gracious spirit of 29 women that Sweet Honey In The Rock stands today as a force in this world. It is not easy to do. It requires a lot of sacrifice, patience, soul searching, and willingness to surrender to the ultimate voice, and that is the voice of Sweet Honey herself. You really are a part of the whole, every part is valuable, and yet she’s able to bring the sound and message even if you’re not there. One of the things that I think sustains Sweet Honey is that when a singer leaves the group, the next person to come is not considered a replacement. The next singer is considered a new voice that may shift the shape a little, but the sound, the color, the content, and flavor remain intact.”
SHIR members will reminisce about their experiences and exciting travels and express how much the love and support of their fans has meant to them. They are asking fans to share their own stories of how SHIR’s words of joy, pain, resilience, and defiance have moved them and impacted their lives. Fans are also encouraged to wear their most festive attire for a group photo of this virtual event and to send photos of themselves at a SHIR event or posing with a SHIR member for display during the celebration.
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