Message Is In The Music: Manchester Gospel Choir Keeping Martin Luther King's Legacy Alive

MANCHESTER, NJ — On a cold Friday night in January, a group of students took the stage at Manchester Township High School, raising their voices in harmony for the annual celebration of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

It was the 54th annual performance by the Manchester Township Schools' Gospel Chorus, the first school-based gospel chorus in New Jersey, and the longest-running. Formed in the aftermath of the assassination of the King, its goal today remains the same as its goal then: to spread King's messages of hope, love, community and peace.

"I'm really proud of the fact that a program like this has lasted so long," said Evelyn Swift, principal at Whiting Elementary School. Swift was once a student singing in the program, belting out gospel songs that bring the audience to its feet.

King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, and in cities and towns across the country, communities came together for celebrations on his birthday that emphasized his messages as the fight for civil rights continued. The first celebrations were held in January 1969, and the Manchester Schools gospel chorus was among them.

The chorus was founded by Queen Cannon, an educator in the Manchester school district. Cannon later was a guidance counselor and even served as an interim principal, Swift said.

The gospel concert and how it has touched the lives of students has been her biggest legacy, however.

"Cannon was ahead of her time," Swift said. "This was before Dr. King's birthday was recognized as a national holiday."

But the community embraced it and supported its renewal each year.

"People understood how important this is to our community," Swift said.

The Manchester schools have a population that is 40 percent minority students, but the gospel chorus — it's comprised of middle school and high school students because the middle school did not exist when Cannon formed it — draws students from all walks of life, Swift said.

The audience, too, is a cross-section of the Manchester community — Black families, white families, parents, grandparents, children young and old, staff members and community leaders, drawn by King's message.

"The message is always the same," Swift said. "It's a message of home. It's a message that's always relevant, and brings people together."

It brings the students together, too. Those who have participated in the gospel chorus recruit friends and classmates and younger siblings to join them. Preparations for the January concert begin in September, with practices once a week.

"They pull this together in four months. Even during COVID, they pulled together," Swift said. "It's the combination of this incredible community, and staff and the students."

The program's longevity also is attributable in part to the fact that former students pick up and lead, taking over for the previous generation. Swift, who graduated from Manchester in 1986, took over for Cannon when Cannon retired, and served as the adviser for a number of years before becoming the principal at Whiting about 10 years ago.

Swift said it was a proud moment when she was able to help honor Cannon at the 50th anniversary of the chorus in January 2020. "She sincerely deserved it," Swift said.

Ashley Ramirez, who now is the high school adviser, was one of Swift's students in the chorus, and seeing her former student take over that role means a lot.

Taylor Bullock, who is the chorus director, also got her start as a student in the chorus. She is not simply a former student, however; her mother, Selena, was the chorus director for nearly 15 years.

"My mom absolutely loved the kids. She loved directing the choir," said Bullock, who started singing in the choir in middle school and continued until she got pregnant. After her sons were born, she returned as a volunteer to help.

"If she needed me to sing a note to help the kids get the note I would sing it," Bullock said. All the while, she was absorbing her mother's passion for working with the students.

When Selena Bullock died in October 2020, Taylor stepped into her mother's shoes. The 2021 gospel chorus performance was virtual, with the chorus members all joining in by video clips because of the coronavirus pandemic.

For 2022, Taylor Bullock said she wasn't sure what to expect, but the students returned. This year, the response was bigger, and she anticipates the 2024 chorus and concert will grow more.

"After the concert this year you have kids saying, 'I cannot wait until next year,' " Bullock said. "It's the love of the kids, the love of the administrators who help out, the love of the families that keeps it going."

Bullock said she has students who come to her and tell her, "My parents never knew I really like to sing. And then they come and they're seeing their kids shine."

Bullock said her favorite memory was of a time when they were warming up with one of the songs the alumni choir was singing.

"My mom hated me taking videos, but I have a video of the rehearsal," Bullock said. "Hearing my mom's voice, hearing her sing ... "I'm so glad saved those videos."

Swift said the community that the choir creates is what makes it so special. It draws in everyone who attends, even if you aren't a churchgoer or are not immersed in gospel music.

"You're supposed to feel welcomed," she said. "It's a positive environment."

The message — King's message — is always one of love, acceptance, peace and hope. "It always relevant, especially in these volatile times," Swift said.

"He fought for the world to be in unity and be together," Bullock said. "To Manchester, that absolutely matters because Manchester is a very mixed school."

Knowing that King's civil rights advocacy has had an impact on the world she lives in now "is really inspiring," Bullock said. "I find it absolutely amazing what one man did and it changed the whole world."

But the importance of the gospel chorus — and its efforts to keep spreading King's message — remain every bit as important, both Bullock and Swift said.

"The students said it best. One year, they had T-shirts that said, 'The Message Is The Music,' " Swift said.

"That message is always relevant, and it's never going to change."

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