Annika

Music Before, During & After

The Civil Rights Movement

“Birmingham Sunday”

Two students, Annika (vocals) and Phinneas (guitar), recorded this cover of Joan Baez's “Birmingham Sunday.”

Baez's song was written in response to the horrible bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church and the murder of four little girls within that church.

Music Before/During Movement:

Onward Christian Soldiers 1834

A hymn about marching strong with Jesus as if to war and facing any violence with His love.

Go Tell It On the Mountain 1865

A hymn about how they needed everyone to know about their movement.

Leaning On the Everlasting Arms 1887

This hymn helped the children in Birmingham feel better because their pain could be comforted by and confided in God as they felt in His everlasting arms.

Lift Him Up 1893

This hymn reflected the idea that once they had their freedom, opportunity would be drawn to them.

Lift Every Voice and Sing 1900

A hymn about continuing to march on until they gain their freedom.

This Little Light of Mine 1925

A hymn about letting the voice God gave you ring similar to Go Tell It on the Mountain.

Which Side Are You On? 1931

It was about how the struggle for freedom wasn’t over and that you need to continue the fight your ancestors started.

Take My Hand, Precious Lord 1932

This song was about asking God to help guide them to the salvation of true freedom and equality because they were worn and tattered from the senseless violence inflicted on them.

Strange Fruit Billie Holiday 1939

This song about lynching in the South uses the idea of a strange fruit hanging from trees to bring to light the horrors of lynching.

We Shall Overcome 1947

Possibly created during enslavement, this was sung during the movement to uplift African Americans, so that they would gain their constitutional rights.

Eyes on the Prize circa 1950

This song was a reminder that no matter the lives lost, the men, women, and children murdered, they need to be focused and intentional to gain their rights.

African-American Folk Rhythms, Ella Jenkins and the Goodwill Spiritual Choir of Monumental Baptist Church, 1960

This album is a compilation of lesser-known African American Spirituals that were sung during the civil rights movement.

Woke Up This Morning 1961

Birmingham Sunday Joan Baez 1961

This folk song was inspired by and a direct reaction to the murder of four young girls in a church bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.

Mississippi Goddamn, Nina Simone, 1964

This song was Simone’s response to the murder of Medgar Evers, the 16th Street Church Bombing, and the Birmingham Children’s Crusade and shows her anger at the situation.

A Change Is Gonna Come, Sam Cooke, 1964

This song was about how overdue the change was and how they were relieved it was finally coming.

O Healing River 1964

This song was played by Pete Seeger at one of his concerts for protesters after they heard about the deaths of three prominent Mississippi SNCC members.

Music After Movement:

The Staple Singers: We’ll Get Over 1970

The group's transition from gospel to message songs that addressed social and civil rights injustices, expressing the ongoing emotions of Black Americans alongside their experiences.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised Gil Scott-Heron 1971

The album shows that true social change needs more than watching from a screen, calling for direct action. The media can raise awareness, but real impact comes from participation.

Bob Marley Rastaman Vibration 1976

A message of liberation, resistance, and Marley's profound testament to his artistic prowess alongside his unwavering commitment to social justice, having themes of Rastafarianism, social consciousness, and spirituality.

Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine 1991

A loud and powerful statement fighting social and political injustices, particularly related to those in capitalism, inequality, and government oppression

We Gotta Pray Alicia Keys 2014

A response to the killings, protests, and restlessness following the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown at the hands of police, and the following decisions of the grand jury not to indict the officers involved.

Glory John Legend 2015

A powerful anthem about the ongoing struggle for racial equality and justice in America, emphasizing the need for unity, peaceful resistance, and collective action to achieve true equality.

To Pimp a Butterfly 2015 Kendrick Lamar

Using the metaphor of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly, this album has themes of self-love, racial inequality, and the struggle for liberation in the context of Black Lives Matter and the civil rights movement.

Freedom Beyoncé, feat. Kendrick Lamar 2016

Powerful anthem about personal and social liberation, resilience, and the fight against oppression, especially in the context of the civil rights movement.

This is America Childish Gambino 2018

A layered commentary on racism, gun violence, and the complexities of Black identity in America, revealing the uncomfortable truths about American society.

Annika’s Reflection on the Music of the Movement:

“Music is healing, it is affirming, it’s energizing, it’s sustaining. I’ve always believed that justice work requires a soundtrack. In Alabama, the community of people who pushed this nation to break down the architecture of segregation and legalized racial hierarchy sang as they marched. Music was key to their capacity to make a difference. Mahalia Jackson came to Montgomery and energized people during the boycott. The Freedom Singers were a vital part of how people stayed engaged when they had to confront such brutality. They as musicians had long pushed people in this country to think differently about what it means to be an American, to be committed to the power and the beauty of music while living in spaces where the ugliness of injustice and bigotry can reside.” (Stevenson, Chicago Symphony Orchestra)

Bryan Stevenson, an accomplished lawyer who dedicated his life to aiding the incarcerated, poor, and condemned, is also a talented Jazz pianist. In this article, he explains how musical expression allows him to do the work that he does, how music is affirming, healing, and how it begins new life.

The music of the Civil Rights movement is arguably one of the most powerful influences due to it not only serving as powerful social commentary, but also as self-expression, protest, and reflection on the social and political changes of the decade. Music brought freedom of expression, having served as the ‘lightning-rod’ that self-actualized individuals because of its free limitations of creativeness. Standing beside the true right of freedom of speech, music inspires individuals to turn musical expression into action and reflection, having the songs they sang coming from a wide range of music, but having the emphasis on African American spirituals, gospel hymns, and folk music. Music was meant to inspire and uplift the protesters and sustain their efforts, with songs such as: “We shall overcome,” which became a defining anthem for the movement, having its lyrics embody the hope that led the protesters into the battles that fought the injustices, that had been praised and preserved by white supremacy, for generations. Music served as a rallying cry and a source of strength within the movement. Especially because of their non-violent philosophy, the songs they sang could touch on any mood, ranging from uplifting to somber.

To be able to understand the full impact of music during the movement, you need to go back to when black people were enslaved. Music and dance is an integral part of African American culture—so when African people were taken from their homeland and enslaved, they brought with them the roots of their music, which became a vital part of work, worship and celebration—which is similarly seen used in the depths of the civil rights movement. A common theme enslaved people sung of, often had biblical and religious narratives, (spirituals) to communicate their coping of hardship, sharing their faith, messages of hope, and sung of a God that recognized and affirmed their humanity and promised liberation both in a physical and spiritual sense. African American spirituals not only brought them hope and an outlet for expression, but it preserved their heritage, allowing the values to live within one generation to the next. The importance of God within their songs became prominent during the civil rights movement, serving not only as a guiding light but also provided moral justification, leadership, and organizational structure. The Gospels and Spirituals are what empowered groups and protests, such as the Freedom riders—who used freedom songs as solitary and unity.

After 1968, people still continued to make protest music, because the injustices didn’t end there—and nor did the movement. The battle for civil rights is still ongoing. Modern day freedom music continues the legacy of resistance, liberation, and empowerment, still serving as anthems for those who are advocating for social change, like the Black Lives Matter movement. Music is a vital cultural force that articulates disagreement, encourages the development of unity, and contributes to the ongoing struggle for a more just and equitable society.

Kwame Akoto-Bamfo

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Kwame Akoto-Bamfo is a multi-disciplinary artist, educator and activist, known for his sculptures and massive body of works dedicated to the memory, healing and Restorative Justice for people of African descent.

Kwame Akoto-Bamfo is an artist who makes life-size sculptures of humans. He uses his ability to promote activism against racism through his many installations in major civil rights museums and monuments. He was born in 1983, and he grew up immersed in Ghanaian culture and later earned his BFA and MFA in sculpture from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. At the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, he has multiple sculptures inside the building.

In one specific hallway at the Legacy Museum, he was able to capture many faces of African American slaves who displayed fear and sadness. His work is so powerful because it feels like the viewer is staring at a real person. Like at the National Monument for Peace and Justice, he displayed a group of six slaves connected by chains and begging for mercy. His work is in many other places, like Nkyinkyim Museum, Freedom Park, StoA169, Blank Slate Monument, and the Bisa Aberwa Museum.