'Fannie Lou' Musical

Fannie Lou Musical

"I Will Grow"

(one of the 20 original songs from the original musical Fannie Lou by Felicia Hunter)

"I Will Grow"

There is a scene in Fannie Lou Musical in which a 12-year-old boy asserts his being. He’s seen and heard what the grown-ups have been going through as they fight for the right to vote. The right to make their own decisions. To determine their own futures. To live their own lives. To, quite simply, grow.

The struggle has reached a boiling point, and the young boy decides to take a stand. Regardless of the roadblocks placed in front of him, he says, he is determined to grow. Not just grow up physically into adulthood, although that certainly is an essential part of his assertion. He also promises that he will grow mentally, intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, individually, socially and any other way that will enhance his human existence. He does not ask permission for the opportunity to grow. He insists on it.

As he makes his decision, he sings the song “I Will Grow.” It is one of the highlights of Fannie Lou Musical.

We've recorded a special rendition of my original song
“I Will Grow,” performed by several cast members from a recent production of “Scenes and Songs from Fannie Lou.” With such a rendition, the meaning of the song is expanded exponentially. Imagine a timid mother committing to grow beyond her restricted circumstances. Or a teenager hardened to life much too soon. Or a go-along-to-get-along indigent whose reach does not exceed much further than the grasp of his next meal. Or a well-meaning but somewhat naïve college student. Or a staunch segregationist. Or a 44-year-old sharecropper with merely a sixth-grade education, whose eyes are opened to the point where she helps spearhead the region’s voting-rights movement.

These and all of the other characters in Fannie Lou Musical have the potential to move forward and grow.

Many, many thanks to cast members Torian Brackett, Cameron Draper, Ben Marcus, Michael Moss, Jessica Raymonvil, Emily Senkowsky, Karen Stefano, Desi Waters, Angela Watson-Modeste and Hanna Elizabeth Young (all pictured below), who all very graciously volunteered their time to record the song for the very first time. It coincided with our production marking the centenary of Fannie Lou Hamer’s birth. Titled “Scenes and Songs from Fannie Lou: Celebrating the 100^th Anniversary of the Birth of a Voting Rights Heroine,” the event took place in October 2017 at Yale University. To all those who attended, thank you very much for your support. We appreciate it very, very much.