[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 179 (Tuesday, October 12, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1084]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           IN CELEBRATION OF HENRY THACKER ``HARRY'' BURLEIGH

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 12, 2021

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
celebrate the contributions of Henry Thacker ``Harry'' Burleigh of the 
great state of New York. The newly christened Harry T. Burleigh Place 
in Gramercy Park celebrates a man who dedicated his life to enhancing 
lives through music singing, composing and social justice. This well-
deserving recognition honors the indelible impact Mr. Burleigh, known 
widely as the Father of Spiritual Music, left on New York and 
communities around the world.
  Born in 1866 and growing up in Erie, Pennsylvania as a young African-
American baritone singer, Harry Burleigh traveled to New York City and 
applied to the National Conservatory of Music to study with well-known 
Director and composer, Antonin Dvorak. His exceptional talent was 
recognized, and a scholarship awarded to Mr. Burleigh in 1892 enabled 
him to gain experience editing recordings and developing his classical 
spirituals. One of these was ``Deep River'' a spiritual composition 
from 1917 which is recognized all over the world to this day.
  Tragically, Mr. Burleigh's life was spent under the heinous abuses of 
Jim Crow, and the systemic discrimination of ``separate but equal'' 
endemic to it. Yet in the face of these challenges to his rights and 
liberties, Mr. Burleigh always led with his talents and tireless work 
ethic, earning him many glowing accomplishments throughout his life. In 
1894, Mr. Burleigh auditioned at St. George's Episcopal Church at 4 
Rutherford Place in Manhattan, which still stands proudly today within 
my district and holds concerts celebrating Burleigh's compositions 
annually. Church member J.P. Morgan insisted that St. George's hire Mr. 
Burleigh, and so became the church's Choral Director. He would continue 
to introduce and play his classical spiritual music there for 52 years. 
Concurrently he integrated Temple Emanu-El, now Congregation Emanu-El, 
for a quarter of a century. In 1895, Mr. Burleigh made it a point to 
personally test the strength of newly passed civil rights laws in New 
York by asking for service at 25 establishments.
  From 1908 onward, he sang for King Edward VII in London, performed on 
Mayor La Guardia's weekly radio show Talk to the People, and composed 
over 200 pieces encompassing the classical spiritual music genre. The 
renowned Dvorak' Symphony No. 9 (From the New World) credits the 
incorporation and soulfulness of Burleigh's spiritual works. Mr. 
Burleigh was also a distinguished chartered member of the American 
Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) bestowed with 
great public honors. He received the 1917 N.A.A.C.P. Spingarn 
Achievement Medal, and honorary Doctorate of Music from Howard 
University and Atlanta University in 1920. In addition, Mr. Burleigh 
mentored Paul Robeson, Marian Anderson, Roland Hayes and Enrico Caruso 
who would go on to make their own exciting contributions to our 
nation's musical story.
  Mr. Burleigh's legacy of social justice lives on through The Harry T. 
Burleigh Society. Formed in 2017, the society continues Burleigh's 
important legacy of disrupting boundaries and challenging social norms 
to address issues of our time. The Center for Peace, Equity & Justice 
at Friends Seminary School in New York City, coordinated an education/
postcard campaign that was sent to Community Board Six in Manhattan, 
further highlighting his importance in American social justice to our 
beloved city.
  The co-naming on September 12, 2021 at the South East comer of 16th 
Street and Third Avenue, Harry T. Burleigh Place, stands now as a 
testament to his important work as a baritone soloist, choral director, 
music arranger, editor, mentor, and a New York Community leader.
  Harry Burleigh contributed so much to New York and the world, adding 
his sonorous and unique brand of spiritual signing to our ever-growing 
chorus of American culture. I am pleased to add my own voice to that 
chorus today in recognition and remembrance of this great man.

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