Editor's Note: This story is part of Southwest Michigan Second Wave's On the Ground Battle Creek series.
 
 
BATTLE CREEK, MI — The roots of slavery are deep, tangled, and messy, but they also continue to produce beautiful things, says Carmen Bell, a Voice Teacher with Kellogg Community College and Lead Multi-Cultural Project Coordinator for the Ceasar Chavez Multicultural Center at Lansing Community College.
 
Among the elements of this beauty is the premier of an opera on February 28 at 6 p.m. at First Congregational Church in Battle Creek titled “Tangled Roots,” which features the vocal talents of local performers who, through words and music, will raise the voices of enslaved people. Based on slave narratives, the opera “delves into the poignant stories and histories of African American lives,” says a press release from the Southwestern Michigan Urban League (SMUL), which is hosting the event as part of its 8th annual State of the African American Community Address.

Bell, a professional opera singer, composed the local production of Tangled Roots with Rufus Ferguson, Professor of Music and Coordinator of Music and Music Technology Programs at Mott Community College, and Jordan Hamilton, a professional cellist.
 
The idea to stage a local production was the result of an HBO documentary that featured well-known actors, including Denzel Washington and Oprah Winfrey, reading slave narratives from the Federal Writers Project.
 
John GrapCarmen Bell, an opera singer, will participate in the 8th annual State of the African American Community Address and Opera Gala on February 28 at First Congregational Church.“In 2019, Rufus and I collaborated on a recital at FCC where we had different community members read narratives with spirituals,” Bell says. “I didn’t know these firsthand accounts existed until we did that recital. There are a lot of conversations about slavery where the African American community does not want to address it, even though we see lots of the effects show up in our communities because of inequities throughout the decades. It’s important to me that this doesn’t get pushed aside.”
 
The theme of this year’s State of the African American Community Address is “Persevering for Progress.” In addition to the opera, the event features a keynote speech from Terry Burleson Jr., Manager of Recruitment and Student Outreach at Kellogg Community College.
 
Of the decision to include the performance of Tangled Roots, Dr. Elishae Johnson, Chairman of the SWMUL Board, says, "In this year’s State of the African American  Community Address, we are taking a more creative approach by celebrating art and culture while creating  a bridge from the pain and injustices of the past, to a future defined by progress, resilience, hope, and  most importantly, action."
 
Those who will be portraying real-life former slaves in different scenes include Tim Elliott, retired teacher with the Battle Creek Public Schools and community volunteer; Marissa Harrington, Founder and Managing Artistic Director of Face Off Theatre Company; Dr. L.E. Johnson, Senior Director for Inclusion and Diversity with the Village Network; and Daja Excell Johnson, a professional photographer whose work has been shared by the actor Viola Davis.
 
John GrapCarmen Bell, an opera singer, will participate in the 8th annual State of the African American Community Address and Opera Gala on February 28 at First Congregational Church.Bell says she and her co-creators intentionally selected recollections that showcase strong narratives, such as one woman who tells of how when she was a young girl, slave traders tried to placate her with candy so that she wouldn’t cry when her mother was being taken away from her.
 
The songs and spoken words in Tangled Roots will be in English. The performance also will include spirituals with musical accompaniment by Hamilton. Enslaved people used these spirituals as a way to communicate information to one another that would not be easily understood by their owners and overseers.
 
“Our African history runs deeper than slavery, but it is a part of it,” Bell says. “The spirituals are intertwined throughout our history,  our faith, and became anthems of the civil rights movement. There are classical, jazz, and hip-hop themes  intertwined within the score.” 
 
The opera contains elements that should be familiar to audience members. Bell says it’s intentionally being done in English to pique the interest of those who may not be familiar with opera. The musical accompaniment is designed to create a theme and emotion.
 
“Outside of ‘Porgy and Bess,’ there’s not a lot of history of African American opera performed in the United States,” Bell says.
 
She juxtaposes this with the success of Edmond Dédé, America’s first Black Opera Composer who relocated to Paris, France, after the Civil War and is celebrated as one of Paris’ most important opera composers.
 
The timing feels right
 
On a plane ride home in September from Washington, D.C. Bell was sitting next to Genavieve Linkowski, a former contestant on “American Idol” who is currently touring with Maverick City Music. Linkowski talked about her career in singing since appearing on the show and asked Bell about her singing career.
 
“After that, I knew this was the right time to do this opera,” Bell says. 
 
John GrapCarmen Bell, an opera singer, will participate in the 8th annual State of the African American Community Address and Opera Gala on February 28 at First Congregational Church.In the Federal Writers Project narratives of freed slaves, they said they got their freedom, but nothing changed, Bell says.
 
“This is similar to what happened right after the Civil Rights movement. When I asked my dad if there was ever a time when there was backlash against this, he talked about a narrative, ‘We gave you what you want, if you don’t like it, then leave.”
 
Johnson says the Urban League has long been recognized as one of the most respected and resilient advocacy organizations championing equity and opportunity for underrepresented communities.
 
“At a time when our nation continues to face complex sociopolitical challenges, as the Board  President, I recognize our communities are relying on us more than ever to organize, mobilize, and actualize meaningful change,” she says. 

 “As we move into this next chapter, we want our community to see the Southwestern Michigan Urban  League not only as dedicated advocates for change but as bold social change agents shaping a more equitable tomorrow. With collective strength and unwavering resolve, we remain committed to doing the  right thing by advancing justice, promoting empowerment, and ensuring every voice is heard." 
 
The rollback of DEI programs and policies is an example of what ethnic minority populations have been dealing with for decades and is a focus for the SWMUL work, Bell says.
 
“Right now, I feel, especially in my work and conversations, that fear is really impacting how we’re responding. It’s never been easy. It’s always going to be a struggle, but we have to keep moving forward to get to that level of reality that everybody deserves,” she says.

“I’m writing this report for work right now about what’s happened politically and socially. What we’re seeing now is just another round in that fight. You’ve got to come in with that mental toughness and level of fight in you.”
 
These are among the tools Bell relied on as she pursued her passion to establish a career in opera.  According to data from Opera America, the percentage of Black opera singers is significantly lower than the general population, with studies showing that only a small fraction of opera singers identify as Black, often cited as around 5% or less, highlighting a significant lack of diversity within the opera industry; this is attributed to systemic marginalization and exclusion within the art form. 
 
“Music is old, and tradition is a big thing. There are a lot of narratives about why you may not get cast in a particular role,” Bell says. “My way of dealing with it was to blend in. I had to learn to take criticism and come up with different ways to be successful in that arena.”
 
During her time as a student at Eastern Michigan University, she “fell in love with teaching.” This has given her a pathway to help students of color students with an interest in the arts to be better prepared.
 
John GrapCarmen Bell, an opera singer, will participate in the 8th annual State of the African American Community Address and Opera Gala on February 28 at First Congregational Church.“I don’t want anybody to go through what I went through. There are a lot of the reasons why black male students, in particular, have trouble; it’s a lack of support or belonging,” she says. “I did have a lot of emotional trauma from my own experiences.”
 
The risk-taker in her was able to marry her love of teaching and music with her advocacy.
 
“I’m very exposed emotionally. I believe that you have to be able to tell your truth and advocate. Tangled Roots is a call to arms for the work we always do,” Bell says. “For us to move forward, we cannot always separate things or look at things differently. The more that we collaborate or know more about different cultures, that’s the way that we grow.”
 
She says she wants those who attend the State of the African American Community event to leave knowing that slavery is a hard thing to talk about.
 
“I want them to leave knowing that what is going on now, we will get through it and move forward. Our society has always moved forward, and society grows when there’s some kind of turmoil that happens. We have the power to speak out and advocate for ourselves. No matter what your views are on DEI or any of that, we have to listen to each other, and through my work, that is my way of speaking out and giving voice to others.”
 
To support SWMUL's initiatives or to get tickets, visit swmurbanleague.org.