Nina was a musical genius. no doubt, no second thought. Trained as a classical pianist , equally talented for her expression as a singer who fulfilled her dream of becoming the first black woman to perform a solo at Carnegie Hall after suffering a lot of racism all throughout her life as a young person.But she wanted more, more than money and the concerts. There was some vacuum which made her feel that she isn’t being herself. And everything changed when she joined the Civil Rights Movement. She not only found relief from her abusive relationship but also found herself. Her voice became the voice of the civil rights movement and she dared to per- form songs like “Mississippi Goddam” and “Backlash Blues”. This was her response to the June 12, 1963, murder of Medgar Evers and the September 15, 1963, bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.She believed that Artists must reflect the times they are Living and expose the sickness even if you can’t cure it. She wanted to expose it through her songs and her art about the atrocities of those times. The songs were Beyond classics pop or jazz. They were the songs of civil rights and connected well with people.She almost ended her blooming music career for this.She was called the Patron Angel of the movement by some.

Be Like Nina Original Design/Illustration © madpaule