By Tristan Epps
Harolene Mack performing a story at Gospelrama
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP)’s long-running celebration of spirituality was back and better than ever for its 27th year after a one-year hiatus caused by the pandemic. HUP staff and local community members gathered at the Penn Museum Stoner Courtyard on Friday, June 10, for an evening of music, dance, and spoken-word performances. Gospelrama has been the culminating event for Black History Month in previous years, but due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in early 2022, its return was held in June to coincide with Black Music Appreciation Month and Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans.
“Gospelrama continues to offer a major platform where we can pause and come together communally, inclusively, and most importantly, inter-generationally to encourage each other in these critical times,” said HUP Chaplain Madeline Dawson, one of the organizers of the event. “This year's event was the result of a wonderful collaboration with fellow organizers Volunteer Services Director David Cribb, Community Relations Manager Laura Lombardo, Chaplain Betty White, and our HUP administration.”
Gospelrama began as a small celebration in 1995 by three now-former HUP employees: Trauma Chaplain Sr. Ramona Cecille, Terri Salmond of Human Resources, and Reverend Edward Smith, who selected “Be Encouraged” as the event’s ongoing central theme. The intent was to “sing the Songs of Zion – the sorrow songs and jubilees of those who were enslaved – to honor the memories of our ancestors,” Cecille said. The inaugural event included singers, poets, liturgical dancers, musicians, and mimes who were all HUP employees. In later years, community performers joined the event.
This year, HUP performers included Anthony Cothran, a unit secretary for Oncology on East 14 Campus; chaplains Arlene Brackett, Tabenah Washington, and David Hoxter; and writer/storyteller Harolene Mack, a unit secretary for Bariatric Surgery on Rhoads 4/Ravdin 6, who said, “When I share a story, it is usually about things we all are struggling with. My hope is to help lighten that load and give some joy.”
Former HUP administration staffer and gospel singer Tamika Patton-Watkins was the featured musical vocalist, and the Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC)’s Cedar Campus Auxiliary read from the book, “Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats”. Guest musicians with Chosen Generation Group and the youth choir from West Philadelphia’s Salt and Light Community Church also gave powerful performances.
Gospelrama has always had its featured vendors, but this year, the effort to highlight small businesses was expanded, with Lombardo working with the Lancaster Avenue Business Corridor and the HUP cafeteria’s Vendor Fridays program. While it has not been determined if Gospelrama will continue to coincide with Juneteenth or return to its original February date, the organizers hope to continue the tradition for many years to come.
