About Fiery Hope Chorus
Poster for 2012 concert commemorating famous 1912 labor strikes in Lawrence, MA
Fiery Hope began in 1988 in the form of a chorus called Amandla, which means “power” in Zulu–a name suggested to us by a South African member. We started out by singing exclusively South African freedom songs as part of anti-apartheid work, but have since added songs from many different cultures, as well as original compositions by our founder and director, Eveline MacDougall. We sing to celebrate life, articulate social concerns, and provide inspiration as we work for justice and peace.
We encourage audience participation at our concerts and workshops, and love inviting folks of all ages to join in. Since 2020, we’ve been singing almost exclusively outdoors (with a few exceptions, masked, for hospice situations).
We’ve had the great privilege of singing and working with many of our heroes, including Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, Cesar Chavez, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Dr. Horace Clarence Boyer, and Wally and Juanita Nelson.
The world changes swiftly in our era, but we always keep in mind that every major social movement that’s made real progress has been interwoven with songs. Knowing this, we put one foot in front of the other, one song after another, and continue on.