The Welcome Table

As a kid I grew up singing in church, at camp, on car trips. I picked up a guitar when I was 14; formed singing groups in high school and college. At an inner city camp the summer after my junior year in college, I was asked to supply the music. Campers who were from Puerto Rico wanted Latin Rhythms. Those who were African-American favored Soul Music. The US and foreign born Chinese asked for Rock and Roll. I was a white folk singer who could sing "Kumbaya" without a drop of irony. While none of us got exactly what we wanted, by the end of the week many of us agreed we got what we needed. We got a sense that we were part of a community that cared for one another, doing the best we could to keep listening and learning. It's been my good fortune to have had a career singing songs and sharing stories while continuing to listen and learn. Singing as part of interracial, intergenerational groups visiting the American South to better understand and experience the Civil Rights Movement remain musical highlights. There is a joyful sadness to many of the songs, like this one, "The Welcome Table."