Speaking of History: Singing at Ohio’s Intersections—The Burnside Mennonaires and Civil Rights in the Mennonite Church
- Date
- July 18th
- Time
- 1:00 PM–2:00 PM
- Age
- Ages 9–12
- Cost
- Included with museum admission: adults $16; seniors 60+ and college students with ID $14; children 4–12 $10; ages 3 and under and members free
Ohio History Center
800 East 17th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43211 · Directions
Fairgrounds
Dr. Austin McCabe Juhnke explores the history and music of the Burnside Mennonaires, a predominantly Black Mennonite choir whose story began with a chance encounter between a Plain City farmer and residents of Burnside Heights in the early 1950s.
That meeting led United Bethel Mennonite Church to establish a Bible school in the community. By the 1960s, it had developed into an independent congregation whose choir blended Mennonite four-part harmony with African American gospel and spiritual traditions. Recordings and conference appearances during the early 1970s allowed the Mennonaires to influence church conversations about racial justice, belonging and cultural identity after the Civil Rights era.
The presentation is part of the Ohio History Center’s America 250 programming and is included with museum admission.