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.
live performance by Jennifer Hudson
Sam Cooke official lyric video
lyrics
lyrics
FIGHT!, Wyatt Wadeell
official video
lyrics
recording with album cover
instrumental
audio with album cover
instrumental
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
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:
