Arts, 2024 Celebrating Black Voices, Arts Features

Voices of Imani Builds Community Through Song

When Joey Zama-Lenfest, MCAS ’26, was navigating the chaotic course selection process during his freshman orientation at Boston College, he noticed a class on EagleApps that piqued his interest. 

Strapped for credits and willing to branch out, he signed up for Gospel Music Workshop, a one-credit course centered around “choral music and oral traditions that capture the Black experience in America,” according to its course description. 

This course would change Zama-Lenfest’s time at BC unexpectedly.

Students enrolled in the course are required to participate in a practicum, where they sing with BC’s Voices of Imani gospel choir for the semester they take the course. 

Zama-Lenfest decided to stick with the choir long after the class had ended and now serves as its treasurer. He explained that “Imani” means “faith” in Swahili, and described what the group means to him personally.

“It was just a space where I could be me, I could be really authentic and really myself,” Zama-Lenfest said. “So that was definitely what attracted me to it. It just didn’t even feel like a class anymore.”

Christian Hawkins, MCAS ’25 and current vice president of the choir, also saw the group as an important emotional outlet. After a stressful transition to college, he was encouraged to join by the current president and MCAS ’24, TeRonce Williams, though he said he was hesitant at first.

“I was inside such a daze of stress that it never really happened, until one time it did happen,” Hawkins said. “I came in and I really didn’t feel the stress anymore.”

Williams explained while singing gospel can be physically and emotionally taxing, it also provides a deep comfort and connection for members.

“Singing with your soul, is like, that’s what gospel is,” Williams said. “Of course, we have to push and pray, but even then, it’s like, most of our songs are there to affect your soul in some way. And it’s reaching from me to you, more than physically.”

For those who might be unfamiliar with the meaning of “push and pray,” Kae’la Powell-Cobbs, MCAS ’25 and the choir’s social media and events coordinator, explained how the term fits the spirit of gospel music and perseverance in general.

“With gospel music, it’s very high, very strenuous on the voice at times,” Powell-Cobbs said. “Pushing and praying means, like, preparing yourself for these difficult moments, praying for support and guidance, and then just hoping that it works out.”

Powell-Cobbs had never sung in a gospel choir before joining, but she said Voices of Imani far exceeded her expectations of what a gospel choir could be.

“Gospel to me is a place to feel,” Powell-Cobbs said. “In Voices especially, we don’t just do, like, Christian music. We’ve sung a Hanukkah song, we’ve participated in Arabic music, and we also sing, like, African-American spirituals—just music that has a message, a very strong message.”

One of Voices’ goals as a group is to educate people about the rich history and emotion behind different types of music. For example, many people are unaware there’s even a difference between African-American spirituals and gospel music.

“Through listening, and through singing, you notice trends in both types,” Zama-Lenfest said. “You notice, like, that spirituals tend to be a little more somber, whereas gospel is a lot more upbeat. And you get to learn about the history of that.”

Although many African-American spirituals have roots in heavier aspects of Black history, including slavery and the Underground Railroad, Zama-Lenfest emphasized the songs can resonate with and have an impact on anyone.

“I think it’s history for everybody,” Zama-Lenfest said. “So I was a little bit surprised that, even though you see the PWI [predominantly white institution], that it’s mostly Black people in the choir. I feel like it’s a really great place to interact with people who, like, may be different from you.”

Hawkins agreed that this interaction and connection is part of what makes Voices of Imani special.

“There are others as well that have felt the way you feel, have done what you’ve done, or have gone through whatever you’ve gone through,” Hawkins said. “And there’s still joy and happiness on the other side of whatever it is.”

Powell-Cobbs said one of her favorite parts of her role in the group is being able to capture and recognize those moments of joy and happiness.

“There is some discomfort singing certain songs because of their background and history,” she said. “But when we do touch upon the spirituals especially, it’s just so strong, and singing them with other people who look like me, and also don’t look like me, is just a great camaraderie.”

One of the unique things about Voices of Imani, according to Williams, is its inclusivity. They don’t require auditions or any vocal background, but have nevertheless built a tight community and successful legacy they hope to expand.

“Before COVID, we were going on tours and everything,” Williams said. “So many different things were going on. There were, like, 12 people on the e-board. But COVID happened, and things had to slow down. We had to rebuild.”

The choir included nearly 50 members prior to the pandemic. When BC students returned to campus, it had only three or four, according to Powell-Cobbs. Currently, it stands at about 20.

“Knowing that we all want more for the group, like, always gives hope to the fact that the group will thrive even further than what we are now,” Hawkins said. “So I feel like that small piece of hope is what I enjoy about my role.”

Its spring showcase, which will be held on April 28 at 6:30 p.m. in the Vandy Cabaret Room, will highlight a variety of gospel and spiritual songs. The four board members said they are looking forward to the opportunity to share their music, along with spreading the group’s energy to the BC community as a whole.

Powell-Cobbs concluded with a mantra she said wholly defines what the group aims to be— “Come as you are, come as you can.”

February 19, 2024