Reclaiming the “Soul of Denison”

Rev. Timothy Carpenter, Special to The Denisonian—

As one of the longest Black male faculty and definitely one of the oldest, I have seen a lot. When I arrived on campus in the role of an accompanist for the then, “Gospel Choir,” I could not help but recognize the number of students of color. Frankly, I didn’t see that many. Now before you go “off” thinking that this article is about race, let me set the record straight.

Though the title of my comments is called, “Reclaiming the SOUL of Denison,” and my first sentence does acknowledge my “blackness,’ one must see and understand that the word soul is the focus, of this article and that soul is not synonymous with race. The Encyclopedia Britannica defines soul as “…the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being, that which confers individuality and humanity, often considered synonymous with the mind or the self.” What does that mean in plain language?

Soul is that part of each of us that expresses itself in many different and unique ways. That expression cannot be copied or transferred. Soul is incomparable. Your soul, your expression.

Now do you see, there is no reference of race associated with soul. No one group has a monopoly on soul.

Now Rev, what are you driving at? Well, I’ll tell you. We have commonly celebrated soul as a cultural possession of a singular group. I must confess, growing up in the era of movies like, “Sweet Sweet-back’s Baadasssss Song,” “Superfly” and “Shaft,” and TV shows like, “Sanford and Son,” “Good Times” and “The Jeffersons,” there was a cultural insinuation that soul was only an expression of blackness. I get it! But because of this exclusivity so many will real soul have been robbed of the opportunity to be recognized as genuine “Soul Brothas and Soul Sistas.” “You Better Recognize!”

This was not the case when I first arrived on campus. Sure, there were some that held closely to their respective cultures and beliefs exclusively, but collectively this campus had soul. So much soul! I regularly attended Asian meetings and events. They had soul. I would attend African meetings and events. They had soul. I’d hang with White athletes at lunch. They had soul. There was the “Circle of Color” that met informally on the second floor of Slayter. They had soul. I shared in Jewish soul. And believe it or not, I also saw Atheist soul on display! There was LGBTQ+ soul. You did not have to look hard to find it. Soul was everywhere! Where has it gone? Where is the soul of Denison now?

One of the vehicles that helped to promote that soul was the Denison University Gospel Choir. 90 some plus odd students. Black students, White students, Korean students, Vietnamese students, Indian students, Turkish students, Chinese students, Indigenous students and upon occasion, international exchange students all joining together to create such an amazing model of “soul.” So much soul that everyone that experienced them left the room on a “Soul High!” Where did it go?

Where does one find soul on our campus now? If you have any idea… let me know!