Freedom Songs with Imani Uzuri
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Freedom songs were anthems of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and a potent catalyst for change. These were songs that were made to be sung together in groups to unify the movement and deliver strong, clear messages of liberation. Musically, they are accessible, direct, and repetitive. They embody a range of emotions—joy, sadness, determination, defiance, hope. Many, including “Oh Freedom,” were originally spirituals, but the lyrics were altered to reflect a renewed purpose.
Imani Uzuri is a vocalist and composer whose role as a cultural worker and activist is central to her work. As such, she has taught and sung freedom songs around the world. She composes music that celebrates her rural North Carolina roots and incorporates influences from her global travels. She is currently at work on a new opera as well as a new musical. She is the founder and artistic director of Revolutionary Choir—an organization that sponsors community singing gatherings formed to teach both new and historical freedom songs around the country.
Lessons
Lesson 1: Learning “Freedom Medley”
Students learn three historically significant freedom songs, and learn about their shared characteristics by uniting them in a medley.
Lesson 2: Learning “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around”
Students change the message of the song by altering one key word; they also have an opportunity to write their own song delivering a message that is important to them.
Resources for Teachers
The following resources provide background information about the musical genre and culture. Some are intended to be shared with students; others are for teachers who may want to explore further on their own.
Listening
- The Freedom Singers, “Woke Up This Morning” and “We Shall Not Be Moved”
- Pete Seeger, “We Shall Overcome” and “If I Had a Hammer”
- Joan Baez, “Oh Freedom” and “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around”
- Harry Belafonte, “Oh Freedom”
- Mahalia Jackson Live, “We Shall Overcome”
- Voices of the Civil Rights Movement: Black American Freedom Songs 1960–1966, compiled and produced by Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon
- Fannie Lou Hamer, “This Little Light of Mine”
- Odetta, “This Little Light of Mine”
- Staple Singers, “Freedom Highway”
- Bob Dylan, “The Times They Are a Changin’”
- The Freedom Singers, “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around”
Readings
- Sing for Freedom: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement through Its Songs, Candie and Guy Carawan
- “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free”: Nina Simone and the Redefining of the Freedom Song of the 1960s, Tammy L. Kernodle
- A Sweet Smell of Roses, Angela Johnson
- Let Freedom Sing, Vanessa Newton
Videos
- “A Freedom Singer Shares the Music of the Movement,” Talk of the Nation, interview with Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon and Toshi Reagon
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop”
Literacy Extension
- A Sweet Smell of Roses, Angela Johnson
- Let Freedom Sing, Vanessa Newton
Image Credits
“Civil rights march on Washington, D.C.” by Warren K Leffler.
“We Shall Overcome” photograph by Thomas Hawk is licensed by CC BY-NC 2.0.