YGB performs for Harrison

The FMU Youth Gospel Choir (YGB) opened up for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jaime Harrison at his last campaign event of the race at 6 p.m. on Oct. 26.

The concert took place at the Charlie W. Johnson Stadium at Benedict College.

YGB performed three songs before Harrison came on stage.

They sang three gospel songs: “When the saints,” “Total Praise” and “God Said It.”

Tylic Galloway, YGB soprano singer and senior psychology major, said this was the second event for the Harrison campaign that they performed for.

“Being the age that I am now and having the understanding that I have now, I realize how monumental it was to be up on that stage singing the gospel during a time like this,” Galloway said.

Galloway also said the choir was very excited to be given the opportunity to perform at another one of his events.

“We really enjoyed performing at a political event and being able to encourage people to vote and get involved through music,” Galloway said.

Galloway said she hoped the choir’s involvement in things going on in society would help unify the FMU student body.

“I hope that our singing brings all the students together because we see the student body as one,” Galloway said. “Not black and white or democrat or republican, but as one.”

Galloway said that being a part of an event that gave them the opportunity to use music to ignite change was another surreal experience.

“It’s bigger than me; it’s bigger than Jaime Harrison and it’s bigger than Lindsey Graham,” Galloway said. “Because we were literally using our voices to make a movement in the state and in the country.”

After YGB performed there were a couple more performances by local singers and then Harrison came out and addressed the audience.

He was happy to be able to hold the event on Benedict’s campus.

“It is so great to be on the campus of Benedict college,” Harrison said. “A historic college here in Columbia, South Carolina.”

Harrison told the audience that South Carolina was undergoing a transition.

“The winds of change are blowing,” Harrison said. “And they are blowing through South Carolina.”

Harrison urged his supporters to vote for him and not Graham because he didn’t understand hard times.

“We need someone who understands the hardships people are going through and help them overcome them,” Harrison said.

Harrison went on to tell the audience about why he loved South Carolina and how he planned to make it a place for everyone to succeed.

Alongside Harrison and his campaign workers was Charleston native and host of The Breakfast Club Charlamagne tha God and rapper and actor Common.

The concert was the third event of the day for the Harrison campaign trail.

Common and Harrison stopped at a local barbershop to urge people to vote and to convey the importance of voting.

After visiting the barbershop, Common went to Allen University, a historically Black college  and university, where he was able to talk to the students about voting and his campaign.