Anderson : When the singers left Fisk University on October 6, 1871, they left in with a sense of urgency for the cause of saving their institution, but also, I’m sure, with a bit of apprehension, wondering whether or not they would succeed. But when they came back in the spring of 1872, they were welcomed home as heroes. They had ventured out on what some called a [quixotic] mission, but they returned triumphant. And they had succeeded. And I think the triumph of that moment must have been really special, very precious to these singers. When they left, they were just students. When they came back, they were performers who had received the appreciation and the praise of noted people up and down the east coast of America. That had to feel really good.
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