Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A new video tells the story of a woman who grew up in Howell and “left an indelible mark on history”.

Today marks the 62nd anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Howell’s Brent Earl is debuting the story about one of Howell’s own on the new YouTube Channel, "Howell Untold”.

Howell High School graduate Lulu Vere Childers helped shape the vision as to why he chose the Lincoln Memorial for his famous speech.

Childers is recognized as one of the City’s Black pioneers who made incredible contributions to the musical history and history of Howell.

U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin, then local Congresswoman, recognized Childers during a commemoration of Black History Month in 2022:

“This remarkable woman was ultimately responsible for developing the small music program at Howard University in Washington, D.C., first into a Conservatory of Music, and then into a School of Music. But before all that, she was a child in Howell, Michigan, the daughter of slaves, her parents brought her from Dry Ridge, Kentucky in 1875 at the age of five. It was in Howell that the public was first treated to the gift of Lulu’s voice. In the early 1880s, she performed regularly at the Howell Opera House and its neighboring Methodist Church on Walnut Street. By 17 she was singing at numerous fundraisers and events across the area and was billed as “Howell’s Lulu Childers”.

Per Wikipedia:
“Born in Dry Ridge, Kentucky,[2] she graduated from the Oberlin Conservatory in 1896, and in 1905 joined the faculty of Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she is accredited with initiating the Conservatory of Music in 1913 and School of Music in 1918.[3] Childers ran the Howard University Choral Society; over the years they performed works such as Handel's Messiah in 1919.[4] She was musical director of the university from 1905 until 1942.[5] She was a friend of singer Marian Anderson.[3] She died in 1946 in Howell, Michigan. Lulu Vere Childers Hall, named in her honor, is located in the Division of Fine Arts building at Howard University.”

A link to the video is provided.