Gospel music: A voice of hope
The roots of gospel music lie deep in the spirituals of enslaved African Americans. These songs were not only an expression of their faith and hope for liberation in the afterlife, but often served as coded messages about escape routes or news of freedom. They functioned as a vital means of communication and cohesion among the oppressed. With the migration of African American communities from the South to the urban centers of the North, particularly Chicago, gospel music continued to evolve, reflecting the complex experiences of these migrants. It offered newcomers a unique opportunity to assert their place in urban society while preserving their Southern roots and traditions.
Sociologists emphasize the significant sociopolitical role of gospel music, highlighting that it enabled Black people to attain leadership positions in their communities, particularly within churches. The church and gospel music became important social centers, providing African Americans, who had little say in employment, housing, and education, with a crucial platform for self-empowerment. Gospel choirs and singing were populist forms of expression that allowed the "simplest workers" to become stars on Sunday mornings and gain recognition that was often denied them in everyday life.
During the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, gospel music became an absolutely crucial element of protest. Songs such as "We Shall Overcome" (originally a church hymn) became anthems of the movement, uniting activists, strengthening their morale, and effectively spreading their message of justice and equality. Gospel music was seen as an effective means of speaking out against injustice and promoting a more just society.
Prominent gospel singers, such as the iconic Mahalia Jackson, were actively involved in the civil rights movement at both the local and national levels. Jackson performed alongside civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and used her music to move hearts and call people to action. The political power of gospel music was impressively demonstrated when Mahalia Jackson sang "I've Heard of a City Called Heaven" and "Move On Up a Little Higher" during the civil rights movement while surrounded by police and the Ku Klux Klan. For most Black people, these songs about heaven and "moving up" were also metaphorical messages about freedom and full participation in American society, as illustrated by the expression "heaven is heaven, but it's also a seat at the front of the bus."
Gospel music, an indispensable platform
Protest and criticism
Many gospel lyrics address social injustice, racism, poverty, and discrimination. They demand justice and call for the elimination of injustices. Gospel artists were recording songs with explicit social messages even before the 1960s, although radio stations in the South were reluctant to play them. Examples include "No Segregation in Heaven" (1942) and "No Jim Crow in Heaven" (1950) by the Golden Gate Quartet and the Capitol City Quartet, respectively. Gospel announcer Otis Jackson also wrote story songs about African American heroes such as Dorie Miller and Mary McLeod Bethune, as well as about the NAACP. The Staples' move to Stax Records in 1968, although a conscious shift from gospel to soul, maintained the group's social conscience with songs such as "Respect Yourself" and "I'll Take You There." The latter featured "punchy, politically relevant imagery," with Mavis Staples imagining a place on earth where no one cries or worries and where there are "no smiling faces / lying to the races."
NAACP “National Association for the Advancement of Colored People“
The NAACP is much more than just a civil rights organization—it is a pillar of American history and one of the oldest and most influential forces in the fight for equality. Since its founding in 1909, it has worked tirelessly to break the chains of racial segregation and discrimination and defend the civil rights of African Americans.
Imagine an organization that has been at the forefront for over a century, working to create a world where where you come from is not a barrier. That's exactly what the NAACP is: fighting for political, educational, social, and economic equality for all people, regardless of race. Its weapons? Courtroom battles, relentless lobbying, educational outreach, and a host of other strategies, all aimed at eradicating racism and creating justice.
The NAACP is a living testament to the fact that the fight for civil rights is an ongoing process that requires perseverance, courage, and unwavering commitment. Its work has changed countless lives and continues to shape the landscape of civil rights in the United States.
Encouragement and hope
In times of political or social upheaval, gospel music offers comfort and hope. It strengthens faith in a better future and motivates people to work for change.
Gospel music played a central role in empowering people to overcome their fears, especially during the civil rights movement.
Community building
Singing gospel together strengthens the sense of community and solidarity among people who share similar experiences or are fighting for the same goals. The spread of gospel music through sheet music, records, radio, and television contributed significantly to its ecumenical reach and influenced musicians from all walks of life. The gospel music industry offered African American migrants entrepreneurial opportunities and enabled them to find their own way in the face of limited employment opportunities.
The connection between gospel music and the civil rights movement was further solidified in the 1970s when Jesse Jackson's Operation PUSH became an influential vehicle for social protest. Gospel music provided African American communities with a sense of unity and purpose and served as a catalyst for social and political change. After the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, radio stations that played gospel exclusively received huge ratings. Ralph Bass believed that people had a need for the spiritual message of gospel and that, when presented correctly, it would have great appeal to the mass market. Songs such as "Give Me Liberty or Death" and "Tell It Like It Is" fit seamlessly into the oeuvre of socially conscious R&B songs.
The "Golden Age of Gospel" (approx. 1945–1960) was a period of unprecedented productivity, visibility, and popularity, often referred to by the black press as "the big business," with rising concert attendance and artist earnings. The rise of Gos-Pop, a musical blend of gospel, R&B, and soul, with lyrics that replaced people's relationship with God with their relationship with their fellow human beings, reflects the evolving message of gospel music and underscores its relevance to contemporary life. According to Ralph Bass, a proponent of Gos-Pop, the message is about going beyond comfort in church and conveying a positive message that teaches a way of life. This message is in line with that of Martin Luther King Jr., who fought for social justice and equality. Bass added that young people want "a positive message" and that Gos-Pop teaches a "way of life."
Nevertheless, the rise of gospel music was marked by internal and external tensions and debates. There was considerable resistance to gospel music that incorporated secular elements such as jazz rhythms. Conservative critics, such as Edward Boatner, the chief choir director of the Pilgrim Baptist Church, found this "degrading" or "blasphemous" and saw it as a threat to the dignity of sacred concert music. In 1940, Reverend Porter W. Phillips criticized the "Gospel Whooping and Jazz Swinging Singers" as a "degrading loss of dignity." Thomas A. Dorsey, who introduced gospel music as a mixture of blues and jazz, was best able to express this sentiment, and the music became useful in evangelical gatherings. Mahalia Jackson defended her emotional, rhythmic singing style, which critics called "jazz in church," by emphasizing that God wanted liveliness and that this was a form of praise. She emphasized that the atmosphere in black churches was often similar to that of a "hot" jazz concert, in contrast to the "deathly silence" in Western churches.
The “National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses“ (NCGCC) sought to legitimize gospel singing by emphasizing training and standards in order to transform the image of gospel singers from "untrained whoop-it-up singers" to "flawlessly trained, evangelically minded musicians."
Criticism of "pop gospel"
Mahalia Jackson herself strongly rejected the term "pop gospel," considering it blasphemous to water down the music for which people had given their lives. She expressed sadness that record companies were trying to make gospel a competitor to rock 'n' roll by adding "strange drums." Nevertheless, with Jackson's consent, record companies began adding popular religious songs to their repertoire in 1950 in order to reach a wider audience, reflecting the trend toward "religious pop."
Mahalia Jackson's career illustrates the tension between her religious beliefs and her socioeconomic desires. While she turned down lucrative offers to perform in entertainment venues, she was also willing to include popular religious songs in her repertoire in order to reach a wider audience. She justified this theologically by emphasizing that songs about love and unity, such as "Danny Boy," were just as important because one cannot love God without loving people. Despite her fame, she continued to experience racial discrimination, as evidenced by her inability to enter certain restaurants. For example, she supported City Councilman William L. Dawson and Franklin Roosevelt, changing song lyrics to promote their candidacies. She was unusually open to performing at progressive political events, including those organized by the left-wing folk song organization People's Artists.
In the early 1950s, religion was aggressively promoted, including through "religious pop," as a tool for anti-communist national unity and in response to Cold War fears (e.g., McCarthyism, the "bomb," and the Korean War). The music industry marketed religious pop songs such as "Let's Go to Church Next Sunday Morning" as a means of promoting religious values in the face of the "current world situation," which required a "return to religion." Church leaders even suggested sending Mahalia Jackson on a "peace mission of song" behind the Iron Curtain, believing that her impact would surpass any words.
Even today, political and social themes can still be found in gospel music. Artists address current challenges, whether in relation to social inequality, police brutality, or other pressing issues. Gospel music can serve both as a critical voice against existing power structures and as a medium for reinforcing conservative values or political views, as is the case in some strands of Christian nationalism, for example.
The experiences of figures such as Mahalia Jackson, who continued to face racial discrimination despite her fame, underscore the ongoing challenges in the US. Racial discrimination remains a deeply rooted and complex problem that manifests itself in various areas of social life. Although formal racial segregation was abolished by civil rights laws in the 1960s, systemic racism persists, manifesting itself in inequalities in education, housing, health, the justice system, and the economic system.
Slavery (until 1865)
For over 250 years, slavery was legal and supported by laws that defined African Americans as property and denied them basic human rights. This practice left deep and lasting scars that continue to be felt today.
Jim Crow laws (19th century to mid-20th century)
After slavery was abolished, many southern states introduced Jim Crow laws. These laws enforced racial segregation in all public institutions such as schools, buses, restaurants, and toilets. They aimed to oppress the black population and maintain white supremacy. Examples include separate water fountains, separate areas on public transportation ("back of the bus"), and the exclusion of Black people from certain stores or services.
Disqualification from voting
Although universal suffrage for men was secured by law in 1870, many southern states used methods such as poll taxes, literacy tests, and "grandfather clauses" to systematically exclude Black people from voting. Violence, intimidation, and lynching were used to deter Black voters. In Mississippi, less than 6% of eligible African Americans were registered to vote after 1890.
Black Codes
These laws criminalized minor offenses such as unemployment ("vagrancy"), which served as a pretext for depriving Black people of their right to vote and forcing them into a form of debt bondage.
Redlining (from the 1930s onwards)
This was a discriminatory practice by banks and insurance companies, whereby certain neighborhoods mainly inhabited by minorities were denied loans and mortgages. These areas were classified as "high risk," which led to a lack of investment, deteriorating infrastructure, and lower wealth accumulation among Black people. The consequences of redlining are still evident in today's residential segregation.
Mass arrests and violence
Historical events such as the Memphis Massacre (1866) and the New Orleans Massacre (1866) showed brutal, unprovoked attacks by white mobs on black residents, often with the approval of local authorities and the police. Police brutality against Black people also has a long history and has often been a catalyst for racial unrest, such as the Watts Riots of 1965 or the Detroit Riots of 1967. Police officers were often involved in unlawful arrests, verbal abuse (e.g., racist slurs), and violence in Black neighborhoods.
Status, mid-2025
Although overt discrimination has been largely abolished by law, racism today often manifests itself in more subtle, structural, and systemic forms that have far-reaching consequences:
Police violence and injustice in the justice system
The fight against racist police violence remains a key issue. Cases such as the death of George Floyd (2020) have sparked protests around the world and raised awareness of ongoing brutality and discrimination against Black people in the US. Recent reports from May 2025 show that the US government is closing investigations into several cases of alleged racist police violence against Black people, which civil rights organizations see as a "slap in the face" for the victims. African Americans continue to be heavily overrepresented in the justice system, both in arrests and incarcerations; they are five times more likely to be incarcerated than white Americans. They account for 22% of victims of fatal police shootings, even though they make up only 13% of the US population.
Economic inequality (racial wealth gap)
The wealth gap between ethnic groups remains stark. Black and Hispanic families have significantly less wealth than white families. This is the result of historical and ongoing discrimination in employment, lending, and education. In 2019, the average white family had $184,000 in net worth, compared to $23,000 for Black families. This is also a result of discrimination in the housing market, where homes in predominantly Black neighborhoods are often worth $48,000 less than in primarily white neighborhoods.
Inequality in education
School funding is often based on local property taxes. Combined with continued segregation in residential areas, this leads to systemic underfunding of schools in predominantly Black communities. This results in poorer test scores and learning conditions for Black students.
Housing discrimination
Despite legal prohibitions, subtle forms of discrimination continue to exist. Black tenants or buyers may be turned away or denied equal access to rental apartments or houses.
Discrimination in working life
Studies show that black Americans with "white-sounding" names receive 50% more callbacks for job applications. Even with college degrees, opportunities are not always equal. It can also take subtle forms such as not hiring, not training, not mentoring, or not promoting "racialized persons" (people who are perceived as "different" because of their ethnicity).
Political polarization and rhetoric
The political landscape in the US is highly polarized, and racist rhetoric, especially in the run-up to and after elections, contributes to heightened tensions. Following the US presidential election in November 2024, numerous people in various states, particularly Black people, received racist text messages, some of which called for "cotton picking." The FBI has launched investigations into these cases.
Undermining diversity and inclusion programs (DEI):
There are still legal disputes and political efforts to undermine or abolish programs promoting diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI), often under the pretext of "reverse discrimination." Civil rights organizations criticize this as a setback in the fight against racism.
Environmental racism
Minorities are disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and poorer healthcare. A well-known example is the water contamination in Flint, Michigan (2014), a predominantly black community.
Little progress on reparations claims
Although there are repeated calls for reparations for the descendants of slaves, progress at the national level has been very slow.
Conclusion
In summary, racial discrimination in the US today is a complex reality that manifests itself in both individual prejudices and deeply entrenched systems and structures. The struggle for true equality remains a central and painful process.
©Thilo Plaesser