N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources's video: Singing on the Land featuring Carly Prentis Jones at Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum

The Palmer Memorial Institute was founded in 1902 by Charlotte Hawkins Brown. Located in Sedalia, North Carolina the preparatory school saw more than 2,000 African Americans pass through its doors over its 70 year history. Charlotte Hawkins Brown was born in Henderson in 1883 to descendants of enslaved people. In 1888 her family moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts to escape the Jim Crow practices of the South. One of only a few Black students in Cambridge's schools, Brown was an excellent student, and by chance she met former Wellesley College president and women’s education advocate Alice Freeman Palmer. She became Brown’s mentor and benefactor for her future education. Upon completing her junior year at Salem State Normal School in Salem, Massachusetts, Brown accepted a teaching job at the Bethany Institute, a school for African Americans run by the American Missionary Association that saw her return to her home state of North Carolina. Located in Sedalia, the Bethany Institute was run down by the time Charlotte Hawkins Brown arrived in 1901, and soon after the American Missionary Association decided to shut it down. Still possessing the drive to educate her fellow African Americans, at the age of 18 Brown restored the school herself, naming it the Palmer Memorial Institute in honor of her mentor Alice Freeman Palmer. Today’s Singing on the Land combines two important pieces of African American history with a performance by soprano Carly Prentis Jones of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” in front of the school’s bell tower. Commonly referred to as the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was first a poem, penned in 1900 by James Weldon Johnson and set to music five years later by his brother John Rosamond Johnson. The lyrics touch on the struggles of African Americans and the hope found in the fight for freedom, equality, and liberation. More than a century later, the song remains painfully relevant but still inspires those feelings. “This song is like armor,” Jones reflects. “It makes me feel pride, it makes me feel hope.” Jones' connection to Charlotte Hawkins Brown is personal. Her grandfather, Dr. Frissell W. Jones, was a professor of education at two North Carolina historically black colleges and universities: St. Augustine’s and North Carolina A&T, and he met Brown through his work. Her connection to the song she chose also ties back to her grandfather, who would lead her family in singing it around his upright piano when she was a child. Artist Bio: Carly Prentis Jones, is a theater artist and vocalist performing on stages throughout the region. She is a versatile performer - spanning opera, art song, musical theater, classic and contemporary theater. Some of her most favorite musical performance credits include: Camila in In The Heights, Nettie in Carousel, Lady In Green in For Colored Girls, and Dorothy in The Wiz, Nettie in The Color Purple, Sarah in Ragtime, and Lily in The Secret Garden. As a classically trained singer, Carly enjoys performing as a recitalist and as a soloist with sacred venues and organizations. She attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio where she earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, a Bachelor of Arts in Black Music History, and a minor in Arts Management. You may follow Carly’s performance work at carlyprentisjones.com. Carly’s career as a performing artist informs her work as an arts administrator. She also has a diverse background in community programming, arts advocacy and nonprofit work. Carly currently serves as Program Director for Artists & Organizations at the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the N.C. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources. In this role, she is a resource to artists across North Carolina and oversees the grant-funded artist fellowships and arts organizations for the state of North Carolina. She has also been a key member of the Come Hear NC team, assisting in the creation of programming around NC music. Site Overview: Founded in 1902 by Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown, Palmer Memorial Institute transformed the lives of more than 2,000 African American students. Today, the campus provides a setting where visitors can explore this unique environment where boys and girls lived and learned during the greater part of the 20th century. The museum links Dr. Brown and Palmer Memorial Institute to the larger themes of African American history, women's history, social history, and education, emphasizing the contributions African Americans made in North Carolina. Production Credits Directed by: Michelle Lanier Videography: Laura Casteel, Matt Zeher Drone Videography: Greg Snyder Sound Recording: Matt Zeher Editing: Matt Zeher Produced by: Michelle Lanier, Carly Jones, Tom Normanly, Sandra Davidson Photography: Sandra Davidson