Music, Race and Cultural Freedom: Articles

Never has the power of song been as evident as it was during the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

"The music was very instrumental, and it helped the races connect during a time of bigotry and racism," said Syl Johnson, 77, who released the single Is It Because I'm Black in 1969. White parents "wouldn't let the kids listen to the records (by black artists) ... but they hid under the covers, listening to the songs on transistor radios, and when they grew up, bigotry disappeared. It's still here, but R&B and soul music was very, very instrumental in bridging racial gaps between black and white."

During Black History Month it is important to reflect and think about how much change is still needed since the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. To get inspired to continue to make a difference, take a look at these top civil rights songs you should have on your playlist rotation.

Starting with the age of bebop, jazz ceased to cater to popular audiences and instead became solely about the music and the musicians who played it. Since then, jazz has been symbolically linked to the civil rights movement.

The sounds Black people make are the brick and mortar of the United States. Literally. The enslaved African’s singing was a driving force for the free labor that built a young nation and put it at the forefront of empires. Historically, Black Americans have been amongst the primary influencers of music culture. The genres that were born of Black misery, triumph, endurance, protest, and expression have changed the way the entire world sounds. But it’s undeniable that many of these songs were and still are shaped by the fatigue of the constant protest that comes with Black existence.

"Jazz speaks for life," King said. "The blues tell the story of life's difficulties — and, if you think for a moment, you realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph. This is triumphant music."