After 40 years of storytelling around the world, folk singer Reggie Harris traveled to Peterborough to speak at the Monadnock Summer Lyceum.
On Sunday, July 31, Harris spoke to more than 100 people at Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Church for a presentation titled “Finding Hope in a Five-Minute World.” The purpose of Harris’s lecture was to talk about the importance of finding hope through adversity, incorporating historical references to the Underground Railroad and the civil rights movement through music and literature. Harris included vocal performances of “This Little Light of Mine” and “God’s Going to Trouble the Water” during his one-hour speech.
As a liver transplant survivor, Harris said hope can be a driving force to overcoming times of uncertainty and hopelessness.
“We have experienced hope regardless of where we come from,” said Harris. “Hope is not just something that we wish for, it’s an action we participate in.”
Harris also talked about how his enslaved relatives centuries ago used hope as a tool to fight against African-American oppression in the United States.
“These were folks who came from generation after generation of being denied and being told they are less than,” said Harris. “It did not take a rocket scientist to figure out that brown skin in this nation was not an asset.”
Harris, who grew up in Philadelphia, is a lifelong performer and educator who has spent more than four decades engaging in conversations about race, human rights and religion. From classrooms to music halls, Harris has toured the world, seeking to share the truth about African-American oppression in the United States.
He currently serves as co-president and music director for the Living Legacy Project, an organization established in 2008 that leads pilgrimages to historical sites related to the mid-20th century civil rights movement. In addition, Harris is a teaching artist with the Kennedy Center’s “Changing Education Through the Arts” program.
In an interview following his speech, Harris said he is grateful to share the history of the civil rights movement through his passion for music and poetry.
“I love the fact I get to perform because it heals me,” said Harris. “I feel like I am a part of something that has been going on for a long time.”
Chair of the Lyceum Committee Bob Haring-Smith said Harris’s speech about finding hope through racial inequality was a success.
“We have seen not every citizen is treated equally by the government,” he said. “I think a reminder of that can never hurt, and I think music can make for a great event.”
Committee member Eric Blackmer said he knew Harris was a perfect fit for the lyceum based on his lifelong dedication to storytelling.
“It’s important for us white folks to understand the experiences [of African-Americans]. We are trying to find [speakers] who tell people what they want to hear, but more importantly what they need to hear.”
The next Monadnock Summer Lyceum speaker will be Joyce Maynard, who presents “The Story Only You Can Tell” Sunday, Aug. 7, at 11 a.m.