Last October, Fisk University celebrated the 150th anniversary of the storied Fisk Jubilee singers. Nashville Public Radio executed a special radio program unlike anything the station has undertaken in recent memory. Fisk is the oldest institution of higher learning in Nashville — opening nine months after the Civil War to recently freed men, women and children — and the one-hour radio program melds music, poetry and first-person historical accounts to document the history of the singers whose contributions funded Fisk University and kept it afloat. Narrated by poet, novelist and Fisk alum Destiny O. Birdsong and written by poet and Versify host Joshua Moore and 91Classical host Colleen Phelps, Three Castles and the Music City documents the proud history and the faith-rooted spirit of the singers and their impact on the world. It includes contributions from blueswoman Adia Victoria, activist Jackie Sims, current Jubilee singers and Fisk alumni — along with fantastic archival recordings and readings from the personal accounts of Fiskites from the past. As I listened to the special on the radio in real time, I felt that, even as a Nashvillian from New York, I was connected to this history. You can listen at wpln.org and feel it, too.
Best Radio Special Feature
