In recounting the history and present dynamics in the Kuumba Singers of Harvard College, Sherry Deckman presents a portrait of what it means to leave a space better than you found it through song. The story of Kuumba--Harvard's oldest black student organization and now its largest multicultural organization--is told through the experiences of Sheldon K. X. Reid, the group's professional director. Issues and tensions of diversity and community surface, and we learn how Kuumba has become a space where lost cultural practices are revived through music to create a campus home and family for members of diverse backgrounds.