I couldn’t help but do my “church clap” after the song played two measures of music. The rhythmic patterns within the song “This Little Light of Mine” performed by the Staple Singers is something that is all too familiar in the black gospel music genre. Not only did the song inspire me to clap, but also to dance and sing along with the melody. As it pertains to the exact lyrics of This Little Light of Mine, I believe the writers wrote it with the intention of inspiring other Christians or believers to let the light of God that is in them shine so that others may see God in them.
Whatever the intention was for the writers, in my research, I found that this song has often been used by black Americans during protest. It is often sung, to bring peace to protest where tensions begin to rise between parties of opposing views. For example, according to an NPR article “‘This Little Light of Mine’ Shines On, A Timeless Tool of Resistance” written by Eric Deggans, freedom Singer Rutha Mae Harris sings spirituals to “get through dangerous protests”. In an interview, she expressed that “it kept us from being afraid.” Deggans also interviewed Reverend Osagyefo Sekou and expressed that he also sang this popular spiritual to bring peace to a high tension protest: “Pentecostals, we talk about song changing the atmosphere and so I know song could do that and so I just broke out in “‘This Little Light of Mine’” .
Overall, it is inspiring to see how faith filled music can truly bring life and love into a dark and hostile environment.
References:
Deggans, Eric. “‘This Little Light of Mine’ Shines on, a Timeless Tool of Resistance.” NPR, NPR, 6 Aug. 2018, www.npr.org/2018/08/06/630051651/american-anthem-this-little-light-of-mine-resistance.
Written by Caroline Montier
