Washington Revels Black History Concert

- The Washington Revels' Jubilee Voices is an ensemble dedicated to the preservation of African American history and traditions through a cappella music, spoken word, and dance. Founded in 2010, their performances often include spirituals, ring shouts, and poetry to tell stories of struggle, perseverance, and freedom. - The concert venue, Josiah Henson Museum and Park, is located on the former plantation where the Reverend Josiah Henson was enslaved for decades. Henson escaped to Canada in 1830 and became a prominent abolitionist, author, and conductor on the Underground Railroad, helping some 200 people to freedom. - Josiah Henson's 1849 autobiography, "The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada," is widely believed to have inspired the main character in Harriet Beecher Stowe's influential anti-slavery novel, "Uncle Tom's Cabin." - The Jubilee Voices' repertoire traces the evolution of Black music from chants and spirituals of the antebellum period through the post-Civil War, Reconstruction, and Civil Rights eras. - This performance is part of a series of events by the Jubilee Voices for Black History Month, which also includes a celebration of Frederick Douglass's birthday and a concert titled "Still We Rise" with the Office of Historic Alexandria. - The Josiah Henson Museum and Park is a member of the National Park Service's National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program, recognizing its historical connection to the fight against slavery. - The museum, which opened in 2020 after more than 15 years of planning, features exhibits and a film that explore Henson's life, the history of slavery in Maryland, and the ongoing struggle for racial justice.