4.8 The Arts, Music, and the Politics of Freedom

Black artists played a crucial role in the fight for racial equality during the 20th century. Through poetry, music, and visual arts, they expressed resistance to inequality and brought the African American struggle to global audiences.

Jazz musicians like Charles Mingus composed protest songs rooted in African American traditions. These songs drew attention to racial injustice and galvanized support for the Civil Rights movement, highlighting issues like school segregation.

Artists advocating for racial equality

Black artists in freedom movement

• Black artists played a crucial role in the struggle for racial equality during the Black Freedom movement of the twentieth century
• Expressed resistance to inequality through various art forms (poetry, music, visual arts)
• Brought African Americans' fight against oppression to global audiences
• Strengthened similar efforts by Afro-descendants outside of the United States

Global impact of Black artists

• Nicolás Guillén, a prominent Negrismo Cuban poet of African descent, examined connections between anti-Black racism in the United States and Latin America through his writings
• Denounced segregation and racial violence in his poetry
• Brought Black-freedom struggles to the attention of audiences beyond the United States
• Raised awareness about the shared experiences of Afro-descendants across the Americas

Latin American poets vs segregation

• Latin American poets, like Nicolás Guillén, used their platform to speak out against segregation and racial injustice
• Drew parallels between the struggles of African Americans in the United States and Afro-descendants in Latin America
• Highlighted the global nature of anti-Black racism and the need for solidarity among oppressed communities
• Inspired readers to challenge systemic inequality and fight for social change

Jazz protest music

• Musicians, such as jazz bassist Charles Mingus, composed protest songs that relied on African American musical traditions
• Incorporated call and response, a technique rooted in African American cultural practices
• Drew global attention to white supremacist responses to racial integration in the United States
  • Little Rock Crisis (1957), where nine Black students were denied entry to a previously all-white high school
• Used music as a powerful tool to raise awareness about racial injustice and galvanize support for the Civil Rights movement

Faith and music in civil rights

Faith and music for mobilization

• Faith and music played a vital role in inspiring and mobilizing communities during the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s
• Black churches served as spaces for organizing and adapting a wide range of musical genres
• Freedom songs emerged through the adaptation of hymns, spirituals, gospel songs, and labor union songs
• Churches provided a platform for the creation and dissemination of music that fueled the fight for racial equality

Freedom songs as inspiration

• Freedom songs served as a source of inspiration for African Americans engaged in the struggle for equality and freedom
• Many activists risked their lives in the pursuit of justice, and freedom songs helped to sustain their courage and resolve
• Songs unified and renewed activists' spirits, providing a sense of solidarity and shared purpose
• Lyrics offered direction and guidance, helping to focus the movement's goals and strategies
• Communicated hopes for a more just and inclusive future, envisioning a world free from racial oppression

We shall overcome anthem

• "We Shall Overcome" became an iconic anthem of the Civil Rights movement, as described by Martin Luther King Jr.
• Activists sang the song in various contexts, including marches, protests, arrests, and while in jail
• Served as a powerful symbol of resilience and determination in the face of adversity
• Inspired political protest and became a rallying cry for the movement
• King's 1966 speech, titled "We Shall Overcome," drew upon the anthem's message of hope and perseverance
• Demonstrated the profound connection between music and the struggle for racial justice

Required Sources

"Little Rock" by Nicolás Guillén, 1958

Nicolás Guillén's poem "Little Rock" captures the intense racial tensions and struggle for desegregation in 1950s America. Written in response to the Little Rock Crisis of 1957, it provides a poignant international perspective on the Civil Rights Movement and the fight against segregation in U.S. schools.

The poem serves as a powerful example of how the African American struggle for equality resonated globally. It demonstrates the interconnectedness of civil rights movements across borders and highlights the role of art and literature in expressing solidarity and raising awareness about racial injustice beyond national boundaries.

A blues weeps tears of music
in the fine morning.
The white South shakes
its whip and strikes. Black children go
among pedagogical rifles
to their school of fear.
When they reach their classrooms,
Jim Crow will be the teacher,
Lynch's children will be their classmates
and on each desk
of each black child,
there will be ink of blood, pencils of fire.
This is the South. Its whip never ceases.
In that Faubus world,
under that hard Faubus sky of gangrene,
black children can
not go with whites to school.
Or they can gently stay at home.
Or (you never know)
let themselves be beaten to martyrdom.
Or not venture onto the streets.
Or die by bullet and saliva.
Or not whistle at the passing of a white girl.
Or finally, lower their eyes yes,
bend their bodies yes,
kneel yes,
in that free world yes,
of which Foster Dulles speaks in airport
after airport,
while the white little ball,
a graceful little white ball
presidential, of golf, like a tiny planet,
rolls on the pure, smooth, fine turf,
green, chaste, tender, soft, yes.
Well, now,
ladies and gentlemen, young ladies,
now children,
now old hairy and bald men,
now Indians, mulattoes, blacks, mixed-race,
now think what it would be
the whole world South,
the world all blood and all whip,
the world all white school for whites,
the whole world Rock and all Little,
the world all Yankee, all Faubus...
Think for a moment,
imagine it for just an instant.

"Original Faubus Fables" by Charles Mingus, 1960 (video, 9:13)

Charles Mingus's "Original Faubus Fables" stands as a powerful musical protest against racial segregation and political oppression in 1950s America. The composition directly criticizes Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus, who infamously attempted to prevent the integration of Little Rock Central High School in 1957.

This jazz piece exemplifies the role of music as a form of social commentary and resistance during the Civil Rights Movement. Mingus's innovative use of dissonance and improvisation in the song mirrors the tension and chaos of the era, while its lyrics boldly confront racism, making it a significant cultural artifact in African American studies.

Why We Can't Wait by Martin Luther King Jr., 1964 (Excerpt from Chapter 4, "A New Day in Birmingham," p. 48)

Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Why We Can't Wait" provides a firsthand account of the pivotal Birmingham campaign, offering crucial insights into the strategies and philosophies of the Civil Rights Movement. King's eloquent prose and moral clarity illuminate the urgency of the struggle for racial equality, making this work essential for understanding the movement's goals and methods.

The book's focus on nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience demonstrates how these tactics were employed to challenge segregation and discrimination. King's reflections on the Birmingham campaign highlight the power of organized resistance and the role of African American communities in driving social change, providing students with a deeper understanding of this transformative period in American history.

Summarized:

1. Nightly mass meetings were held in various churches throughout the Negro community.

2. These meetings generated power and unity within the community.

3. Freedom songs played a crucial role in the movement:

   • Described as "the soul of the movement"
   • Adapted from old slave songs
   • Served to inspire and unite protesters

4. Examples of freedom songs mentioned:

   • "Woke Up This Morning with My Mind Stayed on Freedom"
   • "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round"

5. MLK's reflection on the power of these songs:

   • They gave courage and helped people march together
   • Demonstrated the resolve of young protesters facing police dogs and fire hoses

6. The chapter emphasizes how these songs bound the community together and provided spiritual strength to the movement.

"Can't Turn Me Around" (video, 3:18)

The Freedom Songs of the Civil Rights Movement played a crucial role in unifying and inspiring activists during the struggle for racial equality. "Can't Turn Me Around" exemplifies the spirit of determination and resilience that characterized the movement, serving as a powerful anthem for those facing oppression and violence.

This song, like many others from the era, demonstrates how music functioned as a form of nonviolent resistance and a means of communicating shared values and goals. It highlights the importance of cultural expression in social movements and provides insight into the emotional and psychological aspects of participating in the Civil Rights Movement.