Dr. Iris Stevenson-McCullough, affectionately known as “Mama Mac,” is the woman whose life’s work inspired the beloved film Sister Act 2. While many fans recall Whoopi Goldberg transforming a struggling high school choir into a powerhouse with Lauryn Hill and Tonya Blunt, they may not realize that the story was based on a real Black woman who did the same work in South Los Angeles.
As the choir director at Crenshaw High School, Dr. Stevenson-McCullough first caught the attention of producer Dawn Steel in 1991. During a period when hundreds of L.A. public school teachers were at risk of losing their jobs in a mass layoff, she refused to go quietly and fought back publicly against the school board. This spirit of resistance served as the inspiration for the 1993 musical comedy that has since become a cultural classic.
However, the real-life accomplishments of Dr. Stevenson-McCullough extend far beyond the silver screen. After being recruited by the Los Angeles Unified School District in 1985, she built the Crenshaw Elite Choir into an internationally recognized program, according to BOTWC.
She has provided students who had never left their neighborhoods the opportunity to perform across Europe, the West Indies, Asia, and Africa. Under her direction, the choir has graced stages at the Playboy Jazz Festival alongside the Los Angeles Philharmonic and performed at a world premiere at the Hollywood Bowl.
Significantly, she is the one who taught the actors in Sister Act 2 her specific arrangement of “Joyful, Joyful,” the song that became the film’s most iconic moment.
Beyond her Hollywood influence, Dr. Stevenson-McCullough is a titan of the gospel music industry. An inductee into the International Gospel Music Hall of Fame alongside artists like Kurt Carr and Take 6, she has been a mainstay in the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) community for decades.
Her reach even extended to the global K-pop group BTS, whom she coached on gospel music during their 2014 reality show American Hustle Life.
Her career has also been marked by fierce community support.
In 2014, after taking the Crenshaw Choir to the White House to perform for President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, she was suspended for 120 days for an unsanctioned trip.
Dr. Stevenson-McCullough, who had led the school’s award-winning music program for almost thirty years, was removed from her teaching position in December 2013.
She was reassigned to district offices—a temporary assignment for educators under LA Unified investigation, often referred to as “teacher jail”. After eight months of protests by former students and civil rights leaders, she was reinstated.
District officials shared little information about why Dr. Stevenson-McCullough was allowed to return to her teaching duties at the time, saying only, “[H]er case, which is a confidential, personnel matter, remains under investigation.”
Citing privacy laws, the district never publicly disclosed the nature of the allegations against Dr. Stevenson-McCullough.
Despite every challenge, Dr. Stevenson-McCullough has continued to pour into the lives of young people through music. Her legacy is so profound that France honored her by renaming a fine arts building after her, and Crenshaw High School dedicated its music wing in her name.
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