Those interested in this type of music might also be interested in a network that is still actively singing today. It's called the Peoples' Music Network/Songs of Freedom and Struggle. I know there is a website. I'll let someone comfy with clickies post it.
The second thought is more about my personal experience. I am white, and I am a social worker in a low-income apartment building for elderly and disabled people that is majority African-American. My first attempt to get people singing was the idea that could sing Christmas carols in or just outside of the apartments of homebound/disabled people, and it worked quite well. My second was that we have a sort of all-purpose Memorial Service, for people to remember those that they are personally missing, during the week of Memorial Day. We sang a lot of hymns, and a lot of people gave rememberances of loved ones. I think if I had offered a "support group" for dealing with grief, I would have had a very poor turnout!
The next singing event I will offer will be a doo wop/oldies event in October. It will be interesting to see if there's a difference in participation, since we'll be singing songs that don't have religious significance. I also have plans for a Black History Month event next February, which will involve a lot of the Civil Rights Songs mentioned in this thread.