Some members say that Kuumba is no longer as easily identified with a single cultural standard.

Most Kuumba members, however, were not around when a 1998 issue of The Harvard Salient published a highly controversial article entitled “Scherzo of Stereotypes,” which mentioned accusations of racism within Kuumba.

The article quoted an e-mail written by a Kuumba member, who wrote, “The pain comes not just from white people not swaying right, it comes from the fact that we are sharing a multicultural experience, not a Black one like we are supposed to.”

Today, the group’s general attitude toward non-blacks’ participation is more accepting.

But a handful of Kuumba singers say the subject of race has not disappeared into the flurry of spirituals and gospel praises in the past five years.

“Under the surface it is certainly an issue,” said a Kuumba member who requested anonymity, “and I don’t understand how anyone who’s in Kuumba and not black could not think about it.”

Kuumba President Johanna N. Paretzky ’03—who is Jewish and once sang with Mizmor Shir—declined to comment for this story.

Learning the Culture

Although no public controversy has emerged since the Salient article, some say they see a more widespread race-related concern: non-blacks’ own fears about accurately performing the art of another culture.

Jorge C. Montoy ’04, the musicians’ representative for Kuumba, says in an e-mail that he feels anxious while performing, “especially as part of the musical leadership of the choir.”

n e-mail, “to locate and engage in intense cultural experiences as a Caucasian American of western European descent.”

Both say that their concerns are rooted in their own reflections, and not in issues within the group itself. They both say the other Kuumba singers convince them that they belong.

But non-black Kuumba members are certainly not alone when it comes to apprehension over performing another culture’s art.

Members of many cultural groups on campus report that they sometimes feel pressured when performing the art of an ethnic group to which they don’t belong.

When Katherine E. Bishop ’05 joined the Asian-American Dance Troupe last year, she says she had an “initial reluctance to participate in something to which I had no cultural connection.” While she now says that this reluctance was unfounded, other groups are still grappling with the issue of diversity, especially when it comes to redefining the art they are exhibiting.