Nina Simone: A Voice That Taught, Gave, And Inspired

I’ve always had a fascination with “The High Priestess of Soul”, Nina Simone .  Just like her, I knew what some of the perceived worst parts of me were - my hair and my complexion. Just about  all the other black children around me knew that there were “physical defects” about us that opened up the floodgates to ridicule with outside parties , and amongst ourselves . Simone resonates with me as a specific kind a black woman. She has nearly every feature that is shunned in the black community, yet still, became the epitome of what a goddess is.     

She had so many gifts to give.  Born Eunice Waymon, she was a rigorously trained classical pianist (in Bach and Beethoven to name a couple  just like I was ) working towards a scholarship at the Curtis Institute of Music but was  unfortunately rejected, prompting her to be a pianist in the club scene instead. Her background in music theory  served  as a solid foundation in  her music , captivating audiences for decades. Her career as a singer was quite  effortless ( although she was reluctant to sing at first) as she bounced between genres of folk, jazz, soul, blues, and gospel, and a resume of nearly 50 studio albums,  earning her a seat at the table amongst the world’s best entertainers of all time. 

Even with these accolades, she was an activist as well, galvanizing her community and leading people together through her words in a time of such civil duress- in an era when black Americans needed something to give them hope that progress was in the midst. Her onstage presence was more than just an evening of entertainment: it was the opportunity to point the finger at the injustice she felt around her as well as what others felt. With a voice so moving, she left her listeners contemplating the music even after the last note was sung.

via The Source

She continued this journey into great success until she decided to refocus her motives on the emerging 1960s civil rights movement- she was very close to James Baldwin, Malcolm X, and many other poets, writers and visionaries. When Lorraine Hansbury, a close friend of Simone who was  one of the people responsible for Simone’s social awakening, tragically died at age 34, devastating Simone. With this devastation, Simone penned one of the best tracks ever titled “To Be Young, Gifted and Black,” which became an anthem of sorts for the black power movement. Her passion for this continued to rise as she performed  1964’s “Mississippi Goddam”—the response to  the 1963 murder of Medgar Evers and bombing at the Baptist  Church in Birmingham, Alabama that killed four young black girls and almost completely blinded a fifth— word has it that she was so angry about it, her singing voice  never returned to its former state. The lyrics paint the picture as to why: “Hound dogs on my trail /School children sitting in jail / Black cat cross my path / I think every day’s gonna be my last / But this whole country is full of lies.” Although this was the 1960s, this is still relevant in today’s society.

She was able to conjure a glamour like no other in spite of everything the world said about black  women that look like her. And with that, she enjoyed a special place in the pantheon of resistance which made me have a deep-rooted appreciation for her.  She is more than a female Bob Marley or voice: it’s the world around her  that made that voice. All the hurt, and pain of condemnation  created something out of this world.  That voice; oh, that voice called us to look at her face, and for that split moment in time, we understood that the hate we felt, and the mockery that we put on other people with characteristics like this was unnatural, bearing the fruit of pillage. You look at her and the lie is exposed to shame us. Looking at her face, a terrible truth comes to the forefront - there is absolutely nothing wrong with her. The issues stem from  deep-rooted problems within the  black community and the perspectives we have on ourselves. There has to be changes in the states of being to eradicate the hate.

via The New Yorker

That is why her story, the way she sang, her essence, and soul made her one of the most iconic and extraordinary artists of the twentieth century for her contributions to pop culture and black identity in America. The story we can all find ourselves apart of :  life’s unexpected struggles and triumphs.

Cover via Huffington Post