The award winning docudrama Singin Wid A Sword In Ma Han uses actual characters, sites, and stories of the Underground Railroad from Vienna’s hometown of York, PA. We see Black activists essential to the success of the Underground Railroad and the crucial role of the Black church in Underground Railroad activity. We discover the existence of Blacks living freely in the southern states and of Maroon societies who raid plantations. Most importantly we witness love and self-determination in the enslaved Black family.
The Spirituals, a vital resource about freedom stories like these given the paucity of written documentation, drive the story. Singin reveals the Spirituals in their natural and authentic circumstance: in the field, cabin or church, by the river, at the camp meeting, singly or in a group: as expressions of the feeling of the moment, the yearning for spiritual release, the desire for freedom, and information and warnings. Singin Website
Photo by Dixie Sheridan
Listen to title song “Singin Wid A Sword In Ma Han“