This is not my favorite song or even performer from the civil rights era but I feel the visuals take precedence over the music.
"Keep Your Eyes on the Prize" is a folk song that became influential during the American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Although the song was composed as a hymn well before World War I, the lyrics to this version were written by civil rights activist Alice Wine in 1956. It is based on the traditional song, "Gospel Plow", also known as "Hold On", "Keep Your Hand on the Plow", and various permutations thereof.
I love the song Leslie. I'm sickened, ashamed, embarrassed, our race could treat another race so horrifically. The white man treating the black man as if he was a wild animal, not fit to live in the same country, breathe the same air. We are all Gods children yet the white supremacy lives on. It's sad. This subject has always touched me deeply.
ReplyDeleteLeslie,
ReplyDeletepowerful post.So many gave their freedom up,their lives up to battle for the freedoms of others. I'm pasting a link to another speech of Dr Kings.It was his final speech, he was murdered the following day and his words are almost prophetic. It moves me to tears to watch it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0FiCxZKuv8&feature=related
Sue, you're so right. I think we're seeing a resurrection of white supremacy as we blog. I'm not ashamed to confess that I break into tears anytime I see these videos.
ReplyDeleteOso: Thanks for the link. The sad thing is he looks a little teary-eyed just as he starts talking. But that could have been sweat from the Memphis humidity, which is atrocious. If you don't mind, I'd like to post it tomorrow.
In one of the biographies about him, one of his closest aides said that King seemed uneasy and for the first time ever referred to his death - this happened the day of or before he was shot.
That's a hell of a good song, but I ended up looking and barely listening. I remember those images from when I was a kid. Courageous people it's amazing what passive resistance can do.
ReplyDeleteSue: Maybe it's just this particular recording I'm not crazy about. Odetta was really the one who popularized it. I just couldn't find anything else that had such powerful graphics.
ReplyDeleteHolte: What gets me is that despite the fact that a bomb killed four little girls in a church and three civil rights volunteers were killed, the activists could continue with a non-violent approach.
ReplyDeleteI liked Oh Freedom, Turn, and We Shall Overcome and some others I can't think of right now.
Leslie,
ReplyDeleteof course please feel free to post it.
What never ceases to amaze me, is how knowledgeable Dr King was. He detailed exactly what was going on in Vietnam.The history, our complicity and support of the French-things which many of us now know 40 years later with the help of the internet.He knew these things way back in the day.
I don't mean to minimize his struggle for race relations, rather that he truly knew and cared about the world, the entire world and everyone in it.
This man's belief in peace and the welfare of mankind crossed all boundaries. I don't know if we'll ever see such a strong and influential mover again.
ReplyDelete