Music of the Civil Rights Movement

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a preacher who knew the power of oratory as well as the power of music.  Throughout the American South, as activists protested against Jim Crow laws and unequal voting rights, they sang about the struggle for freedom and inspired others to sing. 


The March on Washington in 1963 included music as well as the famous "I have a Dream" speach.  Singers included Marian Anderson, Bob Dylan, and Joan Baez.  Check out this recording of selections from that pivotal day.

The Music Collection also holds several other CDs of music that accompanied the march toward equality:

Voices of the Civil Rights Movement: Black American Freedom Songs, 1960-1966

Power to the Motown People:  Civil Rights Anthems and Political Soul 1968-1975

Freedom is a Constant Struggle

Sing for Freedom: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement Through Its Songs

Classic Protest Songs

Black Power: Music of a Revolution

We Shall Overcome: Songs of the Freedom Riders and the Sit-Ins