Nina Simone

    Nina Simone is the person we are speaking about currently in the course. Simone was one of the most dedicated and compassionate artists during her time. Nina Simone was a singer, songwriter, pianist, and an activist. She spoke out when everyone else was too scared to. Nina heavily talked about how black people were being mistreated but then would be used for service. She expressed her thoughts and concerns through her music and she wanted her music to impact the community and society. She was not concerned with how people thought about her and what they had to say about what she was doing. Nina believed that her purpose as an artist was to spread messages with greater meaning and reflect on the past and the harsh times. Many people looked up to Nina Simone for her courageous acts but some not so much. Her husband lying within the “not so much” category. Andrew, her husband, wanted her to be someone she was not.  He wanted her to be popular and be able to go on television shows, to be the next big thing. Nina Simone did not want that, she did not want to pretend to be someone she was not. Simone wanted to make a stand against racism and she wanted to stand up for civil rights.
    I think what Nina Simone did for the black community was very compelling and brave. She was consistent with her beliefs on the topic and was dedicated to making a change, which was to improve life for the black community. For an assignment, we had to dig deeper into one of four songs given to us. I chose “Backlash Blues”. The song is powerful and aggressive. She was very straightforward in her lyrics, saying that whites could mistreat the black community but still want them for their service. She spoke about the backlash reaction of whites during the civil right movement. I thought the song was compassionate and vigorous in a way. I enjoyed listening to her music and kind of understanding what was going on then in a different perspective.