She was older than most of those who gathered round in the church, but after she had slowly made her way to the microphone, she spoke in a voice as strong as steel. &uot;I&160;am Harriet Tubman,&uot; she said proudly. She spoke of how her heart had hardened against those who kept her in slavery – an emotion she said &uot;felt like I&160;had swallowed a stone.&uot;

But, she said, &uot;I&160;rebelled against slavery and … I&160;made 19 trips from the North to the South to get my brothers and sisters.&uot;

Tubman was just one famous black American portrayed by Holy Family Catholic Church’s choir during its choral presentation &uot;Southern Road to Freedom.&uot;

The African prince Ibrahima, prosperous landowners August and Sarah Mazique, politicians John R. Lynch and Robert Wood and opera singer Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield were there.

So were Alice Sims and Jane Johnson, former slaves who defended the antebellum house Melrose, as well as William Johnson, the &uot;Barber of Natchez,&uot; and other famous black people from the Natchez area.

One by one, Holy Family Choir members, dressed in African-style clothing, made their way to the microphones to tell the life stories of those they portrayed. They also told the stories of some of Natchez’s oldest black churches.

In between, the choir burst into song with such hymns as &uot;Go Down Moses,&uot; &uot;Walking Up the King’s Highway&uot; and &uot;I Need Thee.&uot; And those who gathered at First Presbyterian Church – white and black, locals and tourists – sang and clapped along.

Choir Director Dr. Alvin Shelby said &uot;The Southern Road to Freedom&uot; started when Dr. David Steckler proposed a program that would tell of the contributions black people made to the Natchez area.

&uot;He felt we needed to tell our story,&uot;&160;Shelby said. &uot;Not that the history of Natchez was not being told – it was – but often, the story of our achievements was not being told.&uot;

Extensive research by longtime educator Ora Frazier made the stories of prominent black Natchezians come to life, said Shelby. Since then, the show has been held during Spring Pilgrimage for 12 years.

It was up to Shelby himself to put the script to music – and what better music, he figured, than spiritual songs sung by black Americans for generations.

&uot;We tell our story in an entertaining way,&uot;&160;Shelby said. &uot;Part of what I&160;love is the musical side, of course. It’s a mix of history and the hymns and spirituals. We tell the good news of (Jesus Christ) … and of Natchez.&uot;

But the audience was not allowed to sit passively during the two-hour performance held Saturday night.

Near the end of the program, members of the audience volunteered – and some were led to the front – to sing with the choir on &uot;This Little Light of Mine&uot; and &uot;Amazing Grace.&uot;

Dorothy Dickey of Albany, Ga., who heard about &uot;Southern Road to Freedom&uot; from the bed and breakfast where she is staying during Pilgrimage, was one of the singers but said the choir deserved all the praise.

&uot;I&160;love it. Their voices are just so beautiful, and they’re so enthusiastic,&uot; Dickey said. &uot;And you learn so much history.&uot;

&uot;I thoroughly enjoyed it,&uot; said Bennie Truitt of Moss Point, who came to the show with his wife and niece. &uot;It’s the music I&160;love.&uot;

But what Shelby loves most about performing &uot;Southern Road to Freedom&uot; is giving locals a more well-rounded view of their history.

&uot;The thing that’s most wonderful to me is to see Natchezians who come to see this and are amazed by the history, a history most of them don’t know,&uot; Shelby said. &uot;To me, that’s the joy.&uot;

&uot;Southern Road to Freedom&uot; will be performed at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at First Presbyterian Church at 117 S. Pearl St.