Melvin Deal has been a community priest who has been at the center of celebrations, spiritual services and special moments across the region to help connect people to Mother Africa. Whether it is a Kwanzaa service or a church anniversary, one can count on seeing Deal and his rhythmic procession of drummers.
“The drum is the centerpiece that connects the spiritual world and physical world that allows the voice of God to speak to the people,” said Deal, 75, a District native who has dedicated his life to connecting people in the D.C. area to the ceremonies of Africa through performance and teaching students in the city’s public schools.
Deal often has four engagements a week and over the years he has trained hundreds of drummers and dancers in the traditions of African culture that include honoring the ancestors, the pouring of libations, the symbolism of the drum and the symphony of people dancing to a joyous rhythm.
Melvin Deal has mentored and taught hundreds of District school children. Deal teaches drums and dance at the Duke Ellington School for the Performing Arts.
“Melvin Deal is really an anchor that keeps us tied into our cultural roots and it helps to remind us that while we are here in the United States our origins are not here,” said Rev. Graylan Hagler, pastor of Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ.
Deal said that while the ceremonies are loud and often seem chaotic, it is all part of a divine order.
“The icons, the drums, the horns, the rattles, the people and the chief are part … because many people and dancers are telling a story about the importance of moral and ethnic values that help people find their place in society,” he said.
