DAR and Of Thee I Sing Present Free Performance Benefiting

First Marker Honoring Local Black History

Angie Klink, writer

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The General de Lafayette Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and Of Thee I Sing performance company present “A More Perfect Union: Songs and Stories of Early American History,” a free Constitution Week event on September 21 at 6 pm., River City Community Center, 2842 Old Highway 231 South, Lafayette.

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The program for ages 10 and older is free, but reservations are required. Request tickets by emailing gdldar.programs@gmail.com

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“A More Perfect Union,” created by classically trained vocalist Audrey Johnson (founder Of Thee I Sing) and performed and sung by Johnson with contributions by singer Claire Tchoula (Sheeza), features the authentic music and well-researched, fact-based stories of early American history while incorporating historical images, costuming, spoken narrative, and audience participation, accompanied by local pianist Lee Anna Atwell.

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Sheeza will perform song settings of Phillis Wheatley, an enslaved woman during Colonial times who was the first African-American woman, and the third American woman of any race, to publish a book of poems. 

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Proceeds from an optional goodwill offering and sponsorship donations go toward a first-of-its-kind historical maker in Lafayette that will commemorate early, local Black history. The planning of this installation is in collaboration with African-American community leaders.

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The plaque commemorates when Frederick Douglass came to Lafayette and gave a fiery speech on April 19, 1867, to help the African American community raise funds to purchase Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, 820 Ferry Street, where the historic marker will be placed. (See attached verbiage for marker.)

“A More Perfect Union” includes both the positive and negative stories of the time period, with the mission of inspiring admiration for past heroes as well as civic engagement for today, as we continue the collective work towards equality within our community and country. 

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In 2021 Johnson’s program on The Women’s Suffrage Movement was presented by DAR, raising nearly $2000 for Greater Lafayette Underground Railroad Historic Preservation. Feedback revealed the audience’s appreciation for the performance as being inclusive, diverse, and not a “white-washing” of history.

In fall 2023, the DAR and African-American community leaders co-hosted an Emancipation Day celebration at The Arts Federation (TAF). Valuable feedback was utilized as the guideline to create “A More Perfect Union,” highlighting the crucial contributions of women and African-Americans during the American Revolution, as well as the conflict between democratic ideals and slavery.

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This respectful and open performance provides a platform to strengthen relations within our community and underscores the event’s fundraising goal of creating Lafayette’s first historical plaque honoring local Black history. 

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While the exact program for “A More Perfect Union” is new, an abridged version has been performed at the Tippecanoe County Historical Association’s Feast of the Hunters’ Moon for the past 3 years with glowing feedback. Johnson has developed a multi-sensory presentation model that she incorporates in all of her Of Thee I Sing performances, lifting up historical narratives in a unique way that have met national success.

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“A More Perfect Union: The Unsung History of the U.S. Constitution” and related activities are made possible in part by The Arts Federation, and the Indiana Arts Commission, which receives support from the State of Indiana and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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The national DAR initiated the celebration of Constitution Week in 1955 through a petition to US Congress, and the Of Thee I Sing performance “A More Perfect Union” supports the DAR mission to:

• emphasize citizens’ responsibilities to protect and defend the Constitution

• inform people that the Constitution is the basis for America’s great heritage and the foundation for our way of life

• encourage the study of the historical events which led to the framing of the Constitution in September 1787

For more information, to become a sponsor or make a contribution contact Audrey Johnson, audrey@oftheeising.com, 651-202-6219 or Diana Vice, gdldar.programs@gmail.com, 765-490-7254.