Religious Folk-Songs of the Southern Negroes

"Religious Folk-Songs of the Southern Negroes" by Howard Washington Odum is an early 20th-century scholarly exploration of the cultural and spiritual voices of Southern Black communities through their religious folk-songs, with a primary focus on spirituals, where Odum seeks to keep these precious songs as keys to understanding the emotions, identity, and secret lives of the Southern Black community, revealing their distinctive historical and social experiences and challenges. Discussing the important role of folk-songs in revealing the soul and spirit of a group of people, Odum clarifies that these songs offer critical insights into the mindsets, beliefs, and collective experiences of the Southern Black people, and at the start, it touches on race relations, the importance of telling accurate stories, and the growth of these songs that range from old spiritual songs to new ones, capturing the continuous battles and hopes of people who were often ignored, which all makes the stage for a deep examination of the folk-songs that builds the foundation of this cultural legacy.