Anchored By Spirituals and Community: Collective Grief, Critical Hope, and the Work of Moving Forward after the Election

Background and Purpose: Political upheaval can deeply impact communities, and the emotional and psychological consequences often extend beyond individual loss to encompass a shared grief within the collective (Smith, 2022). In these times, critical hope can be used to develop forward-looking perspectives while acknowledging experiences of grief (Ejiogu, 2025; Grain, 2017). This research, conducted with members of a Spirituals choir, sought to understand how these emotional experiences manifest within a group that uses music and communal activity as a form of resistance, healing, and solidarity. This study sought to answer the questions: (a) How do civic groups navigate uncertainty and fragmentation due to political upheaval? (b) How is collective grief experienced through music, shared narratives, and collective action? (c) How are civic groups engaging with critical hope as a way to challenge despair? Implications highlight how social work researchers can leverage arts-based research to inform social justice policies and practices.

Methods: This study used an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) to understand the essence of the lived experiences of members of a civic choir group’s feelings of ambiguous loss, collective grief, and critical hope during political upheaval (Frechette et al., 2020). Focus groups were utilized for data collection to capture a deeper understanding of the community group’s experiences (Palmer et al., 2010; Phillips et al., 2016). Three focus groups were held over one month. Separate focus groups were offered for those who identified as a racial or ethnic minority (n=4), those who identified as White (n=12), and a final focus group was offered for those who preferred to participate in a racially integrated group (n=18). Members were provided the opportunity to provide follow-up information on their reflections of each session and to provide additional information on the conversations of the groups through written reflections.

Results: Findings from focus groups revealed that participants were navigating collective grief and ambiguous loss through varied expressions, including avoidance, denial, and social withdrawal. Members described leaning on African American Spirituals as both a source of personal solace and a historical anchor, connecting them to a lineage of resistance and resilience. For many, participation in the choir offered a rare space to build meaningful relationships across socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic lines. The group not only fostered emotional healing but also nurtured a renewed commitment to civic engagement. Participants highlighted the choir’s dual role as a performance ensemble and a platform for social action—facilitating dialogue, education, and mobilization around justice-oriented causes.

Conclusions and Implications: These findings underscore the importance of culturally grounded, community-based spaces as vital sites for healing, resistance, and civic engagement, particularly in times of sociopolitical upheaval. For social work practice, the choir illustrates how arts-based and affinity group models can foster cross-cultural connection, emotional resilience, and collective agency. For research, this study highlights the value of exploring affective experiences like grief and hope within social justice movements, and calls for further inquiry into how communal art-making supports both individual well-being and structural change.