Pacoima : Chorus Falls Short in Numbers, Not Spirit

The goal was to bring together 100 black males from across the San Fernando Valley at a Pacoima church where they would sing with one voice.

The occasion: Jubilee Day, the annual church service organized by the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People, held to commemorate the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, the historic agreement that led to the end of slavery as an institution in the United States.

Though only 16 male singers attended, the choir’s performance shook the rafters and touched the hearts of many of the 250 people who gathered Sunday for the revival-style service at Calvary Baptist Church of Pacoima.

“I wish we had gotten the word out sooner so more men could have participated,” said Booker Riley, a 57-year-old Pacoima resident who sang in the chorus. “We sound pretty good, but it would have been great with 100 of us.”

The chorus performed gospel songs between speeches and sermons delivered by African American clergy members, business leaders and NAACP officials from the Valley. The service has been held in Pacoima for the past 20 years.

The Rev. Zedar E. Broadous, president of the San Fernando Valley branch of the NAACP, recalled the signing of the proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln in September 1862. The proclamation, which took effect Jan. 1, 1863, was just the beginning of the end of slavery, Broadous said. He urged Sunday’s audience to continue to fight for equality by registering to vote, supporting the NAACP and contributing to the economic development of their communities.

“This is the one time each year when we can really get together and talk,” Broadous said. “We need to become more active as people. We have got to unite together on a business level. We have got to prepare our children, prepare a way.”

Barbara Perkins, founder and former president of the Valley section of the National Council of Negro Women, brought her two children to the service.

“I was extremely pleased to see the male lineup this year,” Perkins said. In past years, the service has drawn more women than men, organizers said. “What I’d really like to see is everybody working together,” added Perkins, who was recently appointed to the national board of the women’s group. “Our voices are much stronger together.”