'LET FREEDOM RING' featuring Leslie Odom, Jr.

also featuring Nolan Williams, Jr. with the Let Freedom Ring Celebration Choir and NEWorks Band

The Let Freedom Ring Celebration is an annual celebration of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., jointly presented by The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Georgetown University. Following a two-year hiatus prompted by the COVID pandemic, 'Let Freedom Ring' returned to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall this January with a stellar program headlined by Tony and Grammy winner Leslie Odom, Jr. and music produced by NEWorks Productions CEO, Nolan Williams, Jr.

The 2023 program, hailed by The Washington Informer as "a grand return," featured Odom performing a range of selections from the American songbook, Williams leading the Let Freedom Ring Celebration Choir and NEWorks Band, and the presentation of the 21st annual John Thompson Jr. Legacy of a Dream Award to Paula Fitzgerald, executive director of Ayuda.

Other program participants included: Naomi Eluojierior, Georgetown University student; Marc Bamuthi Joseph, VP & Artistic Director of Social Impact, The Kennedy Center; Ziad "Z" Ojakli, Executive Vice President, Government Operations, Boeing (LFR Title Sponsor); and John J. DeGioia, President, Georgetown University.

Williams presented two original works as part of the program, performed by the Let Freedom Ring Celebration Choir and Band, Georgetown University student poets Cameren Evans, Isaiah Hodges, and Lucy Lawlor, and community soloists Roy Patten, Jr. and Laura Van Duzer.

The program opened with the world premiere of Williams' "We're Marching On!," a work commissioned by Georgetown University. The piece draws inspiration from a 1965 speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and features spoken word delivered by Evans, Hodges and Lawlor.

Williams' second musical contribution is the social-justice-themed ballad, "We are the ones to heal our land." Commissioned last year by Choral Arts Society and Washington Performing Arts, this work has been adapted for this occasion and will feature Patten and Van Duzer.

(Scroll below to access Williams's song lyrics.)

Click here to read The Washington Informer feature story and here to access the concert review.

PHOTO CREDIT: Art Pittman, courtesy of Georgetown University

"We're Marching On!"

Music and Lyrics by Nolan Williams, Jr.

Spoken Word by Lucy Lawlor, Cameren Evans, Nolan Williams, Jr. & Isaiah Hodges

Commissioned by Georgetown University for Let Freedom Ring 2023.

PROLOGUE

Sometimes I find myself running,

my feet burnt and charred from the fire behind me,

my memories all caught up in coal combustion.

All I have is a body full of smoke.

I remember learning my red, white, and blues,

my Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue

inside an underfunded public school.

A gleeful American history lesson

that always came with a fog.

Sometimes the American dream sounds a lot like pitchforks and screams.

Haunting screams from Rosewood, Ocoee, Ponce,

all forgotten pieces of our history.

Reminding us there’s still work left to do—

that’s why we keep marching.

THE HOOK

We’re marching on

‘cause we must keep marching on.

We’re marching on

‘cause the truth is marching on.

VERSE 1

We’re marching on RACISM…

The struggle is exhausting.

Not being seen when I walk into a room.

not being regarded when I open my mouth to speak,

even when I have said the same thing as another peer—

only she has less melanin, or he has less colored skin.

Being told,

“you’re so well spoken,”

as if that’s a surprise.

Forever branded “other” by the looks in their eyes.

There’s never a time when I can breathe,

never a time when I can relax and be free,

be me.

Without judgment.

Without microaggressions.

Without inequity.

VERSE 2

…XENOPHOBIA

I remember coming home for dinner with the smell of arroz ganduales in the air.

I don’t know the first time I felt scared to be 2 halves of something or rather someone.

I remember feeling the embers burning in my throat

whenever schoolyard kids and their parents would ask,

"What are you?"

"Where are you from?"

I’ve spent a lifetime picking myself apart in the mirror,

a lifetime of running,

a lifetime of assimilating,

a lifetime of people telling my father that he should’ve married better—

or perhaps they meant whiter.

“My body is tired and my feet are sore but..."

THE HOOK

We’re marching on

‘Cause we must keep marching on.

We’re marching on

‘Cause the truth is marching on.

BRIDGE

Opposition forces

sense their voice is

quelled the more we persevere.

That’s why their raging more

And waging war

on this the last frontier

of their inhumanity,

superiority,

inequality.

That’s why we keep marchin’

THE HOOK

We’re marching on

‘cause we must keep marching on.

We’re marching on

‘cause the truth is marching on.

VERSE 3

CLASSISM…

Even in hallowed halls like this,

I feel distinctions in hierarchy persistently

showing me, you don’t belong here,

stay in your place.

They call America

the land of the free

but what’s okay for the elite few

Is not intended for me and you.

Upward mobility is a song sung only when the fences are white

and the spoons are silver.

White wealth, red lining,

Black debt, pink tax:

all things masquerading as

the American dream.

Dreams are fictional.

Dreams are ideals.

The scariest kind of dreams are nightmares that kill.

I’m caught in a race against forces unseen

but I can’t run off this skin

chasing American ghost dreams.

BRIDGE

Opposition forces

sense their voice is

quelled the more we persevere.

That’s why their raging more

and waging war

on this the last frontier

of their inhumanity,

superiority,

inequality.

That’s why we keep,

that’s why we keep marchin’!

VAMP

We’re marching on…

voter suppression!

We’re marching on…

anti-semitism!

We’re marching on…

nisogyny!

We’re marching on…

AAPI hate!

We’re marching on…

poverty!

We’re marching on…

environmental pollution!

We’re marching on...

'til the victory is won!

We’re marching on!

"We are the ones to heal our land."

Music and Lyrics by Nolan Williams, Jr.

Commissioned by Choral Arts Society and Washington Performing Arts.

Adapted for Let Freedom Ring 2023.

ABOUT THE SONG...

"For most of my life, I have been deeply inspired by the scriptural verse, 2 Chronicles 7:14. If the text does not readily come to mind, here it is for your immediate reference:

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (King James Version)

These words have long embodied for me the profound hope that God will eventually make right the many wrongs that trouble our land.

In recent years, however, I have found myself challenged by the application of this verse. Too often, it is interpreted in a way that absolves us of the responsibility of being active agents of our own healing. Too often, it justifies a passive process of waiting on God (above) to move as if we have no power within to bring about the change we seek.

With this new song, I offer a reimagining of the 2 Chronicles text to provoke and awaken our consciousness and to call us as a community to renewed action. And I do so with verses that explore four forms of justice disparities: earth, social, environmental, and economic.

As you read these lyrics and listen to the world premiere performance of this song, meditate deeply upon the meaning and application of these words."

-Nolan Williams, Jr.

VERSE 1

Scorching sun, lands overrun,

while poisoned fields hedge tainted streams.

And scanty greens for those the most in need:

all time-endorsed disparities.

VERSE 2

Fair wage for some yielding unfair outcomes,

gender and race the pawns for games,

and cost of human life color defined

with talk of parity that’s feigned.

When will the just cry, "Enough?"

When will the righteous more demand?

At such a time as this,

we need the brave to take a stand.

REFRAIN

So, we pray to us,

call ourselves by name,

humbly asking if we’ve had enough of our own pain.

Here, now, face to face,

will we turn from our own wicked ways?

Hear us now, we are the ones to heal our land.

VERSE 3

The haves get more while the rest of us survive,

doing our best to make ends meet.

And chances to advance are not the same

for the lost, the least, and all those in between.

When will the just cry, "Enough?"

When will the righteous more demand?

At such a time as this,

We need the brave to take a stand.

REFRAIN

So, we pray to us,

call ourselves by name,

humbly asking if we’ve had enough of our own pain.

Here, now, face to face,

will we turn from our own wicked ways?

Hear us now, we are the ones to heal our land.

BRIDGE

We’ve no right to pray to God then wait with no resolve

to accept the charge we have to act and get involved,

knowing God is calling us to right the wrong we’ve caused,

knowing God is calling us to right the wrong we’ve caused!

REFRAIN

So, we pray to us.

call ourselves by name.

humbly asking if we’ve had enough of our own pain.

Here now face to face,

will we turn from our own wicked ways?

(Tell me, will we turn away?)

Hear us now, we are the ones to heal our land.

VAMP

If not us, who?

If not now, when?

Calling me, you:

It’s time to heal our land.

About Leslie Odom Jr.

Leslie Odom, Jr. is a multifaceted, award-winning vocalist, songwriter, author, and actor. With a career that spans all performance genres, he has received recognition with Tony and Grammy Awards as well as Emmy and, most recently, toe Academy Award nominations for his excellence and achievements in Broadway, television, film, and music.

Odom most recently starred in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, playing the role of Lionel Toussaint, and the critically acclaimed Amazon film adaptation of One Night in Miami..., in which he performed the songs of legendary singer Sam Cooke. Other recent projects include: The Many Saints of Newark, a prequel to David Chase's award-winning HBO series The Sopranos, and hosting CBS's live concert special, "The Tony Awards Present: Broadway's Back!"

About Nolan Williams, Jr.

Nolan Williams, Jr. is best described as a creative force. An award-winning producer, artistic director, composer/lyricist, and cultural curator, the multi-hyphenate Williams has dedicated his professional career to the curation of works that illuminate issues of civil rights, social justice, and cultural curiosities.

Through his company, NEWorks Productions, Williams has produced a body of work that includes choral/orchestral works premiered by major American orchestras; music for television; songwriting credits on two Grammy-nominated projects; arts and educational festivals produced in partnership with The Kennedy Center and Philadelphia’s Mann Center; cultural programming developed with the Smithsonian, U.S. State Department, and the Embassies of India, France and South Africa; video/documentary projects; artist collaborations with Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Natalie Cole, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Audra McDonald, and Denyce Graves; and, a slate of theatrical productions, including GRACE, a critically-acclaimed musical which premiered last year at Ford’s Theatre.

Williams is also the Kennedy Center’s inaugural Social Practice Resident and a recipient of the Kennedy Center’s National Performing Arts Committee’s 2019 Arts Advocacy Award.

For more information, visit nolanwilliamsjr.com.

2019 HIGHLIGHTS

"Ethereality: Celestial Dreams & the Great Beyond"

The Philadelphia Orchestra & Philadelphia Youth Orchestra

"Ethereality: Celestial Dreams & the Great Beyond"

feat. the NEWorks Philharmonic Orchestra, Morgan State University Choir, NEWorks Voices of America and soloists | Hosted by Denyce Graves-Montgomery | The Great Hall of the Historic Nineteenth Street Baptist Church, Washington, D.C. | October 12, 2019 | Co-presented with the National Museum of African American History & Culture

"Blues in Orbit"

The Philadelphia Orchestra & Philadelphia Youth Orchestra

"Ethereality: Celestial Dreams & the Great Beyond"

feat. the United States Army Blues, emerging F.A.M.E. artists, and the world premiere of Allyn Johnson's "One Giant Leap" | Hosted by NBC-4 News anchor Pat Lawson Muse | Harmony Hall Arts Center, April 9, 2019 and The Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, April 14, 2019 | Co-presented with M-NCPPC Department of Parks & Recreation/Arts & Cultural Heritage Division

The Philadelphia Orchestra & Philadelphia Youth Orchestra

feat. The Philadelphia Orchestra and Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, Mann Center | June 24, 2019 | Co-presented with the Mann Center for the Performing Arts | Philadelphia Inquirer review

2018 HIGHLIGHTS

Philadelphia Community Mass

feat. the Philadelphia Community Mass Choir, The Kennedy Center Millennium Stage | November 25, 2018 | Co-presented with The Kennedy Center

"A Monumental Celebration"

Philadelphia Community Mass

feat. the NEWorks Voices of America, Lincoln Memorial, The National Mall | August 27, 2018 | Presented with The White House Historical Association

Philadelphia Community Mass

"Bernstein: Broadway & Beyond"

feat. the Philadelphia Community Mass Choir, Monumental Baptist Church | August 11, 2018 | Co-presented with the Mann Center for the Performing Arts

"Bernstein: Broadway & Beyond"

feat. The Philadelphia Orchestra and the world premiere of Darin Atwater's "South Side Symphonic Dances", Mann Center | July 18, 2018 | Co-presented with the Mann Center for the Performing Arts

"Bernstein Tribute"

"Bernstein: Broadway & Beyond"

"Stirring the Waters"

A concert of music and movement honoring the Bernstein centenary, The Kennedy Center Millennium Stage | April 25, 2018

"Stirring the Waters"

"Bernstein: Broadway & Beyond"

"Stirring the Waters"

A concert commemorating the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., The French Embassy, Washington, D.C. | April 3, 2018

2017 HIGHLIGHTS

Back-to School Youth Rally

feat. Step Afrika!, WPA Children of the Gospel, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, and Split This Rock poets, The Kennedy Center Millennium Stage | August 21, 2017

Flash Mob @ NMAAHC

Back-to School Youth Rally

feat. NEWorks Voices of Inspiration, in celebration of the first anniversary of the National Museum of African American History & Culture | September 24, 2017

"A Space Odyssey"

Back-to School Youth Rally

"A Space Odyssey"

feat. The Philadelphia Orchestra and the world premiere of Nolan Williams, Jr.'s "Hold Fast To Dreams", Mann Center | Co-presented with the Mann Center for the Performing Arts

2015 HIGHLIGHTS

Eleventh Annual High School Gospel Music Invitational Concert

feat. the Ithca College Symphony Orchestra | September 26, 2015 | Co-presented with Ithaca College | Download concert program here

"Cry, the Beloved Country"

Eleventh Annual High School Gospel Music Invitational Concert

Presented in support of the Washington National Opera's Lost in the Stars, featuring VUSA-Voices from Southern Africa, The Kennedy Center Millennium Stage | Saturday, February 13, 2016 | Co-presented with Washington National Opera

Community-wide Spirituals Sing

Eleventh Annual High School Gospel Music Invitational Concert

Community-wide Spirituals Sing

The Kennedy Center Grand Foyer | Sunday, November 15, 2015

"Family Ties"

Nancy Hanks Lecture Series

Community-wide Spirituals Sing

A Target family night holiday concert featuring four diverse musical families ('local von Trapps') performing music ranging from classical and jazz to Hispanic, inspirational and yuletide songs. Featuring the Chong, Ottley, Leyva and Davies families. The Kennedy Center Millennium Stage | Wednesday, December 9, 2015

"Bridges"

Nancy Hanks Lecture Series

feat. the Atlanta Youth Symphony Orchestra and various D.C.-based school performance ensembles | Alice Deal Middle School | March 23, 2015 | Co-presented with the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities

Nancy Hanks Lecture Series

An Americans for the Arts concert event feat. the Atlanta Youth Symphony Orchestra and NEWorks Voices of America, The Kennedy Center Concert Hall | March 23, 2015 | Presented with Americans for the Arts

2014 HIGHLIGHTS

"Gospel Meets Symphony"

"Reflections On Peace: from Gandhi to King"

feat. The Philadelphia Orchestra and Marvin Sapp, Mann Center | July 20, 2014 | Co-presented with the Mann Center for the Performing Arts

"Reflections On Peace: from Gandhi to King"

A global concert of peace on The National Mall | August 10, 2013 | Co-presented with the Mayor's Office, D.C. Commission on the Arts, and Desho Productions

"Reflections On Peace: from Gandhi to King"

feat. the NEWorks Voices of Inspiration and Soundarie David Rodrigo, the Residence of the Ambassador of India to the U.S. | August 9, 2013 | Co-presented with Ambassador Nirupama Rao, D.C. Commission on the Arts and Desho Productions

NEWSacred Song Anthology

"Reflections On Peace: from Gandhi to King"

Featuring the NEWorks Voices of Inspiration. Presented as part of The Kennedy Center's festival, "Voices of Our Nation: Celebrating the Choral Tradition." The Kennedy Center Millennium Stage | June 2014

2011 HIGHLIGHTS

"Partnering for Life"

"Sanctuary: A Sacred Sound Experience"

A concert raising awareness about health disparities feat. various artists, hosted by Malik Yoba | The Historic Lincoln Theatre | Co-presented with the American Cancer Society

"Sanctuary: A Sacred Sound Experience"

feat. the National Symphony Orchestra and NEWorks Voices of Inspiration, THEARC | January 2011 | Co-presented with the National Symphony Orchestra

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS AS A LEADING PRODUCER OF INSPIRATIONAL-ARTS PROJECTS

'LET FREEDOM RING' featuring Leslie Odom, Jr.

also featuring Nolan Williams, Jr. with the Let Freedom Ring Celebration Choir and NEWorks Band

"We're Marching On!"

"We are the ones to heal our land."

About Leslie Odom Jr.

About Nolan Williams, Jr.

About The Let Freedom Ring Celebration Choir

The NEWorks Band

concert archives

DAMIEN GETER'S 'AN AFRICAN AMERICAN REQUIEM'

2019 HIGHLIGHTS

"Ethereality: Celestial Dreams & the Great Beyond"

The Philadelphia Orchestra & Philadelphia Youth Orchestra

"Ethereality: Celestial Dreams & the Great Beyond"

"Blues in Orbit"

The Philadelphia Orchestra & Philadelphia Youth Orchestra

"Ethereality: Celestial Dreams & the Great Beyond"

The Philadelphia Orchestra & Philadelphia Youth Orchestra

The Philadelphia Orchestra & Philadelphia Youth Orchestra

The Philadelphia Orchestra & Philadelphia Youth Orchestra

2018 HIGHLIGHTS

Philadelphia Community Mass

Philadelphia Community Mass

Philadelphia Community Mass

"A Monumental Celebration"

Philadelphia Community Mass

Philadelphia Community Mass

Philadelphia Community Mass

Philadelphia Community Mass

"Bernstein: Broadway & Beyond"

"Bernstein: Broadway & Beyond"

"Bernstein: Broadway & Beyond"

"Bernstein: Broadway & Beyond"

"Bernstein Tribute"

"Bernstein: Broadway & Beyond"

"Stirring the Waters"

"Stirring the Waters"

"Bernstein: Broadway & Beyond"

"Stirring the Waters"

2017 HIGHLIGHTS

Back-to School Youth Rally

Back-to School Youth Rally

Back-to School Youth Rally

Flash Mob @ NMAAHC

Back-to School Youth Rally

Back-to School Youth Rally

"A Space Odyssey"

Back-to School Youth Rally

"A Space Odyssey"

2016 HIGHLIGHTS

A Community Concert of Hope

A Community Concert of Hope

A Community Concert of Hope

"Firebird: Reimagined"

A Community Concert of Hope

A Community Concert of Hope

2015 HIGHLIGHTS

Eleventh Annual High School Gospel Music Invitational Concert

Eleventh Annual High School Gospel Music Invitational Concert

Eleventh Annual High School Gospel Music Invitational Concert

"Cry, the Beloved Country"

Eleventh Annual High School Gospel Music Invitational Concert

Eleventh Annual High School Gospel Music Invitational Concert

Community-wide Spirituals Sing

Eleventh Annual High School Gospel Music Invitational Concert

Community-wide Spirituals Sing

"Family Ties"

Nancy Hanks Lecture Series

Community-wide Spirituals Sing

"Bridges"

Nancy Hanks Lecture Series

Nancy Hanks Lecture Series

Nancy Hanks Lecture Series

Nancy Hanks Lecture Series

Nancy Hanks Lecture Series

2014 HIGHLIGHTS

"Gospel Meets Symphony"

"Reflections On Peace: from Gandhi to King"

"Reflections On Peace: from Gandhi to King"