WSU Hosts Gospel Music Fest ‘Food for the Soul’

OGDEN, Utah — In anticipation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Weber State University will present the 15th Annual Gospel Music Festival Jan. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Val A. Browning Center Austad Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.
 
The year's festival theme, “Make a Joyful Noise: Food for the Soul,” was inspired by King’s “Poor People’s Campaign.” The campaign demanded economic justice and human rights for poor Americans of diverse backgrounds. In 1968, King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) started the campaign, which the SCLC continued after his death.

“We thought that ‘Food for the Soul’ would allow us to discuss how properly to feed ourselves mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually,” said Adrienne Gillespie Andrews, WSU assistant to the president for diversity and director of the Center for Diversity & Unity. “Having a musical event allows us to nourish ourselves in many of these ways while helping others.”
 
Performances will be provided by Kids Are Music, the Weber State University Choir, Calvary Baptist Church, New Zion Baptist Church and Unity Choir, among others.
 
The goal of the festival is to unite and educate people through inspiring gospel music — music rooted in the spiritual messages and oral histories shared during the time of slavery.
 
In addition to the music, WSU also is holding a canned-food drive to help food banks restock their shelves after the holiday season. Those who attend the festival are encouraged to bring at least one can of food for donation.
 
“This wonderful event is family friendly, and it provides an opportunity to be together in a positive way,” Andrews said. “If we don’t speak the same language, that’s OK. Music is an international language, and the feeling of the music is something we can all share together. We anticipate having another fantastic celebration that will also bring us together to feed the hungry in our community.”
 
For more information on the Center for Diversity & Unity, visit weber.edu/diversity.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
 
Author:
Marcus Jensen, Office of Marketing & Communications
801-626-7295 • marcusjensen@weber.edu
Contact:
Adrienne Gillespie Andrews, WSU assistant to the president for diversity and director of the Center for Diversity & Unity
801-626-7243 • adrienneandrews@weber.edu