Thurgood Marshall Institute

Music has long been a powerful political tool in the fight for civil rights. “We Shall Overcome” became the backdrop to the March on Washington and defined an era. Here’s a look at some of the music that has inspired #CivilRights activists to keep moving forward. #BlackMusicMonthpic.twitter.com/E4bw7mgAvY

Billie Holiday’s 1939 hit “Strange Fruit” was written as a protest to the horrors of lynching. The haunting lyrics combined with Holiday’s signature vocals painted a stark picture of the Jim Crow South and went on to become her best-selling record.pic.twitter.com/xkl7dPhGTc

“Mississippi Goddam” was Nina Simone’s response to the killing of #MedgarEvers and the Birmingham, AL church bombing that killed 4 children. The song was banned from many southern states, but Simone performed the song while crossing police lines in the 1965 Selma March.pic.twitter.com/EyoC9sHEFZ

"Don’t punish me with brutality Talk to me, so you can see Oh, what’s going on” While listening to one of his songs on the radio, breaking news of the Watts Riot of LA interrupted. The dismay of that moment led Marvin Gaye to write “What’s Going On.”pic.twitter.com/0ckaywMrZR