To begin this podcourse on great Black protest poems, we start with the great and foundational wellspring of African American poetry – the tradition of the Spiritual. Spirituals are traditional songs of African Americans; often, they are imbued with Christian values and describe the hardship, hope and disappointment of slavery. In this episode, we hear international opera star Davóne Tines sing "Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel," a complex protest poem itself, and a great musical classic of spiritual striving.Davóne Tines is an opera singer from Raleigh, North Carolina. He is most notably known for his adaptation and performance of The Black Clown, a musical theater experience inspired by Langston Hughes' poem by the same name.