Philosophy & Rhetoric Dec 2023

Just in Time: Calling, Responding, and Making Music from the Soul

Kermit Campbell

Abstract

ABSTRACT Although Kairos in Greek mythology is often depicted as the winged son of Zeus who grants to those who lay hold of his single lock of hair their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, in traditional African American culture, particularly when it comes to speech, Kairos is essentially family. Given how much African American speakers depend on seizing the moment to invoke spiritual connections, emit laughter, and profess the truth, Kairos, or what we might call CPT (“Colored People’s Time”), can be summoned almost at will. One of the African American discourses this article will use to illustrate this point is Call and Response, a verbal exchange in which speakers and listeners attune to one another and to the timeliness of an event. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech was such an event, but it wouldn’t have been so were it not for the timely responding of his favorite gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson.

Journal
Philosophy & Rhetoric
Published
2023-12-31
DOI
10.5325/philrhet.56.3-4.0320
CompPile
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
argument race and writing
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References (14)

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  4. (1977)
    Black Culture and Black Consciousness: Afro-American Folk Thought from Slavery to Freedom
  5. (2022)
    Everything’s an Argument
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  2. Omar G. 2015. “‘How I Got Over’/Mahalia Jackson at MLK’s Civil Rights Campai…
  3. Piaz, Rendarte. 2014. “James Brown—Soul Power & Get Involved—Live TV (1971).”YouTube, 5:15, April24. https://…
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