Category: Civil Rights Movement

Margaret Bonds, “The Montgomery Variations”

“The Montgomery Variations” is a group of freestyle variations based on the Negro Spiritual theme “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me.” Bonds begins with a bold statement of the theme which continues in dramatic variations throughout the piece in the same key, major and minor. Bonds wrote “The Montgomery Variations” following a visit to… Read more »

Babatunde Olatunji (1927-2003)

Babatunde Olatunji was a Yoruba born in southwestern Nigeria. He began playing traditional African music at an early age, especially drums and percussive instruments. In 1950 he received a Rotary International Scholarship and went to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia to study. After graduating he went to New York University. He founded a percussion music… Read more »

Charlotta Bass

Charlotta Amanda Spears Bass was the first African-American woman to be nominated for Vice President by a major political party in the United States. She was nominated to be the running mate of Vincent Hallinan for the Progressive Party in 1952. To read her amazing and powerful speech to the Progressive Party convention, a speech… Read more »

Sojourner Truth (1797-1883)

“If women want any rights more than they’s got, why don’t they just take them, and not be talking about it.” — Sojourner Truth Sojourner Truth was born into slavery, ran away, and eventually had her freedom purchased. She went on to become one of the strongest voices for abolition, for temperance, and for civil… Read more »

Common and John Legend, “Glory”

The rapper Common was initially approached to write a song for the movie “Selma” about that pivotal campaign during the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. The movie depicts the marches from Selma to Montgomery calling for voting rights, a protest which led to President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Common invited John… Read more »