updated February 19, 2021
Continuing the series of playlists on mindfulness, compassion, and values-based teaching, here's a selection of songs that inspired and are inspired by the civil rights movement and the movement for black lives.
As always, please watch the full video and listen to or read the full lyrics before deciding what's appropriate for your own classroom. (Think about the age and background of your students, and how they might react to certain words and images.)
At the end of the post, I've included links to more playlists and teaching resources about the music of the civil rights movement.
lyrics; official video
"Young man, if you don't know your roots then you don't know what you stand for. Proud to be a black man livin' in the land of the brave and the free. Yeah, I'm all-American, and that American dream ain't cheap. We've come a long way. Still got a long way to go. When you're livin' as a black man it's a different kinda 'merican dream."
Better Than We Found It, Maren Morris
lyrics; official video (ends with a message to her baby son about the kind of role model she wants to be for him)
A Change is Gonna Come, Sam Cooke
live performance by Jennifer Hudson
Sam Cooke official lyric video
lyrics
Dear Hate, Maren Morris (feat. Vince Gill)
lyrics; official video (ends with a message to her baby son about the kind of role model she wants to be for him)
live performance by Jennifer Hudson
Sam Cooke official lyric video
lyrics
audio; lyrics
Eyes on the Prize, Mavis Staples
lyrics
FIGHT!, Wyatt Wadeell
official video
lyrics
From the Plantation to the Penitentiary, Wynton Marsalis
recording with album cover
instrumental
lyrics
FIGHT!, Wyatt Wadeell
official video
lyrics
recording with album cover
instrumental
audio with album cover
instrumental
2020 Riots: How Many Times, Trey Songz
official video
lyrics
I Can't Breathe, Dietrick Haddon
official video
lyrics
I Can't Breathe, H.E.R
official video
audio (on youtube)
lyrics
I Can't Breathe, Maino
official video
audio with album cover
lyrics
Lift Every Voice and Sing
a cappella version by Committed
instrumental version by black orchestral musicians
dance solo by Khalia Campbell of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
video (audio + album cover)
instrumental
Somebody's Beloved, MILCK ft. Bipolar Sunshine
official video
lyrics
Wake Up Everybody, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
audio + album cover
lyrics
video of John Legend and the Roots (ft. Melanie Fiona, Common)
video of Brandy, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, Wyclef Jean, and Ashanti
a cappella performance by the Aeolians from Oakton University
a cappella performance (Amen/We Shall Overcome) by Shades from Yale University
We Shall Overcome: Love Will Rise Again by Nimo Patel and Daniel Nahmod
Here are a few good sources for more songs about the civil rights movement and the movement for black lives:
- 15 Top Civil Rights Songs That Promote Freedom and Justice from Black Enterprise
- Top Ten Civil Rights Songs from The Nation
- New Protest Anthems: Songs of the Uprising for George Floyd from Rolling Stone
- Songs Inspired by the Civil Rights Movement from NPR
Here are a few teaching resources on the importance of music in the Civil Rights Music:
- The Music of the Civil Rights Movement: lesson plan integrating music, history, and current events, from TeachRock.org
- The Inspiring Force of 'We Shall Overcome' from NPR
- Music in the Civil Rights Movement from the Library of Congress
- Songs and the Civil Rights Movement from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University
- Till Victory Is Won: The Staying Power Of 'Lift Every Voice And Sing' from NPR
- Soundtrack for a Revolution:
Catharine Hannay is the founder of MindfulTeachers.org and the author of Being You: A Girl’s Guide to Mindfulness, a workbook for teen girls on mindfulness, compassion, and self-acceptance. (Sales of the book help me continue to run MindfulTeachers.org with no sponsorship or advertising.)
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