Greetings and welcome to the website of the
Kuumba Singers of Harvard College!
Hello and welcome to the Kuumba Singers of Harvard College’s home on the Web!!!
These are exciting times for Kuumba
and we want you to be a part of it. Kuumba is an organization, but most
importantly, it is a family. Wherever we go and whatever we do, we strive
to create community and maintain strong relationships with the people
we meet. People make a community great, so whether you are a prospective
member, current member, alumna, alumnus, supporter, or visitor, your
interest and enthusiasm are cherished and appreciated. We invite you
to visit us at any time—in person or through this site—to explore
our creative efforts and growing community.
“Kuumba” is a Swahili word, a verb,
which means, “to create”. This word embodies our mission: To
proudly and unapologetically express the creativity and spirituality
of black people. In line with our mission, we strive always to do
as much as we can, in the way that we can, in order to leave a space
better than when we inherited it. This is the essence of Kuumba.
Kuumba has been making history since
its founding in 1970. On April 18th of this year, we celebrated
40 years of a rich legacy with our friends, supporters and esteemed
alumni. We have over 1000 alumni spanning four decades and it was an
unprecedented blessing to celebrate Kuumba’s 40th anniversary
with many of them. As we sang on the stage of Sanders Theatre at our
40th Annual Dean Archie C. Epps Spring Concert—entitled
“May We Forever Stand”—I knew God was in the building, for all
our hearts and souls overflowed with joy and love.
We have an exciting year ahead of us.
In December, we will be holding the 40th Annual Dr. S. Allen
Counter Christmas Concert in Memorial Church. In March 2011, we will
be presenting the 13th Annual Dr. Walter J. Leonard Black
Arts Festival and later that month we will go on our weeklong Spring
Break Tour, where we seek to spread our message across the United States
and beyond. Finally, in mid-April, we will host our 41st
Annual Spring Concert. As you can see, there will be many opportunities
for you to experience Kuumba in concert, so please do not miss out.
Kuumba has accomplished so much these
past 40 years. The choir serves as both a spiritual vessel and as a
cultural institution to educate and inspire many touched by our musical
ministry. Furthermore, Kuumba has been a safe space for many students
at Harvard and the greater Cambridge-Boston community since its beginnings,
making it one of Harvard’s most prized treasures.
We encourage you to take some time
to explore our website and learn about our music, our family, our legacy
and our future. We hope that you will come back and visit us again soon!
Sincerely yours,
Matthews K. T. Mmopi II, President
President@kuumbasingers.org
