Sep 17, 2023
By: Vallari VaidyaAt times, we may overlook the fact that immensely popular and accomplished musicians have lives beyond the music they create for our enjoyment. Today, let's acknowledge the human side and empathy from musicians whose activism has left us in awe.
Apart from creating music, Noname stands resolutely as a champion for dismantling oppressive systems that have inflicted enduring harm on people of color throughout history. She has also pioneered a book club that selects and spotlights two books penned by aut...
The 1964 was a turbulent one after the murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers in Mississippi and the heinous 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama. But the unyielding Nina Simone showed her resistance by writing and recording the iconic...
At the tender age of 15, a young Stevie Wonder crossed paths with the esteemed Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during a pivotal Civil Rights rally in Chicago. Their encounter left an impact on Wonder, but tragically, just three years later, the world mourned ...
True to their name, the music of Rage Against the Machine remains undeniably provocative, and the band has actively engaged in protests. In 2008, following their headline performance at the Tent State Music Festival to End the War during the Democratic Nationa...
Originally produced in 1989 as part of the soundtrack for Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing," Public Enemy and the Bomb Squad's "Fight the Power" has consistently served as an anthem for social justice causes. Comprising a range of ...
Folk singer Pete Seeger is widely recognized for his pivotal role in co-writing and popularizing the Civil Rights anthem "We Shall Overcome." This iconic song, adapted from a hymn originally penned by Lucille Simmons, was enhanced with additional ver...
Known for her daring stage acts, singer and dancer Josephine Baker courageously used her fame as an advantage while residing in France during World War II, in order to provide shelter to resistance fighters. She gathered crucial intelligence on German military...
Folk singer Joan Baez's activism has left as much of an impact on the world as her musical contributions. In 1963, she performed "We Shall Overcome," a Civil Rights anthem originally penned by Lucille Simmons and Pete Seeger, at the historic Mar...
Eartha Kitt, famous for "Santa Baby" and her role as Catwoman, was also a bold activist who linked juvenile crime to opposition to the Vietnam War draft during a discussion with First Lady Lady Bird Johnson in 1968. Her candid remarks got her blackli...
In another act of resistance with the Civil Rights Movement and the struggle for racial equality as a backdrop, James Brown recorded the song "Don't Be a Drop-Out" in 1967. This song sent out a powerful message to young people, urging them to st...