Blues singer and civil rights activist Nina Simone addressed topics such as Martin Luther King’s death and racial violence in a rediscovered interview that was originally recorded in 1968. As part of a PBS Black on Black series, the animated version of the interview recorded by Lillian Terry has re-emerged online. Nina Simone speaks on her experience as a black person living in the 60s, “It’s a good time for black people to be alive. A lot of violence, but I feel more alive now than I ever have in my life. I have a chance to live, as I’ve dreamed.” She carries on to say, “Really, in these days, in these hard times is you must be grateful that you are surviving. That you have your health.” The Civil rights activist disclosed the meaning of her infamous song “The King of Love Is Dead”, which was based on Martin Luther King. “Why was he killed? It was bigotry that sealed his fate. You can shed your tears, but they won’t change a thing. Will my country ever learn, must it kill at every turn? We have to know what the consequences of these acts will bring.”
When asked how she thought her five-year-old daughter at the time, would live through the revolutionary years, the 60s Jazz singer announced, “Whatever it is she’s going to have pride in her own blackness. She’s going to have a chance to be more than just somebody who’s on the outside looking in.” Watch/Listen to the interview below.
Words: Jadie White –Â @jadiewhite_
