If Not Now - Performed Live

With Carrie Newcomer, Gary Walters & The 2nd Presbyterian Choir

Hi folks, I loved getting to perform Gary Walter’s lovely arrangement of If Not Now with The 2nd Presbyterian Choir of Indianapolis IN. Directed by Michelle Louer.

Hope is taking daily action for the things we hold dear and true. . . because if not now, tell me when!

My friend John McCutcheon told me of a conversation he had with a civil rights activist, Jamila Jones. Jamila Jones was a teenager in Atlanta during the late 1950s. She was part of a group of teens (white and black) who went to The Highlander School for a non-violent activism training over a weekend. They were all going to stay there together at the center. At that time it was illegal for black and white teens to stay in the same building overnight. Someone tipped off the local authorities and while they were there, the police stormed the center shouting and waving billy clubs. In that moment all the teens and adults present began to sing “We Shall Over Come”. Which surprised and angered the police. Jamila was hiding under a table and was sorely terrified - but then she stood up and spontaneously created added the verse “We are not afraid”. So it was Jamila Jones, who spoke and sang with prophetic voice in that terrifying moment, who added that all important verse to a song that continues to inspire us today.