Songs on Racial Justice

SONGBOOK SONGLISTS

RISE UP SINGING: The "Freedom" chapter in Rise Up Singing is devoted to songs related to the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. Other racial justice songs in Rise Up Singing include: Bourgeois Blues, Dancing in the Streets, Heaven Help Us All, Carry It On, Free At Last, Up Over My Head, Asikatali, Once to Every Man & Nation (abolitionist hymn), Because All Men Are Brothers, Color Song, Same Boat Now, Lucretia Mott, We Shall Not Be Moved.

RISE AGAIN: The "Freedom" chapter in Rise Again, on the other hand, includes liberation songs from a variety of movements including anti-apartheid songs from South Africa, songs associated with Irish struggle for freedom from England, Nueva Cancion, and songs by Native Americans.

Other songs in Rise Again on racial justice include: Colors of Earth, Still Small Voice, It's a Long Way, People Get Ready, There'll Be No Distinction There, We Are Soldiers, Is There Anybody Here

Here are some important racial justice songs we want to shine a special light on. (* = "zipper songs")

Songs from and about the U.S. Civil Rights Movement (1950s-60s):

We Shall Overcome *
Woke Up This Morning *
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle *
Ain't Gonna Let Nobody *
O Freedom! *
Hold On ("Keep Your Eyes on the Prize") *
I'm Gonna Sit at the Welcome Table
Calypso Freedom (Freedom's coming & it won't be long)
A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke
What's Going On by Marvin Gaye
I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free by Billy Taylor, made into a civil rights anthem by Nina Simone in 1967
Feeling Good recorded by Nina Simone in 1965
Ella's Song ("We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest") by Bernice Johnson Reagon based on the words of Ella Baker
Glory by Common & John Legend (from the film "Selma")

Other African American songs:

None of Us Are Free rec by Ray Charles, Solomon Burke, Sam Moore
Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) by Marvin Gaye
Build a House by Rhiannon Giddens
Rise Up by Andra Day (has become an anthem for the Black Lives Matter movment)
Somebody's Hurting My Brother by Yara Allen of the Poor People's Campaign *
I'm Gonna Lift My Sister Up by Faya Rose Toure *
We Gotta Pray by Alicia Keys (her response to the killings of Eric Garner & Michael Brown)
Be Free by J.Cole (on Black Lives Matter)
Better Days by Victoria Monet
Give Us Justice by Thee Sacred Souls (for George Floyd)

Songs related to the South African Anti-Apartheid Movement:

Senzenina
Asikatali
Siyahamba
Freedom Is Coming
Something Inside So Strong by Labi Siffre (written when he saw video of killings of Black protesters in streets of South Africa)

Songs by allies of African Americans:

Those Three Are On My Mind by Pete Seeger & Frances Taylor (about 1963 Klan killing of 3 civil rights workers in Mississippi)
It Isn't Nice by Malvina Reynolds
Birmingham Sunday by Richard Farina
Here's to the State of Mississippi by Phil Ochs
Bound for Freedom by Pat Humphries (of Emma's Revolution)
It's a Long Way by Bill Harley
Still On the Bridge by Claudia Schmidt
One in Six by Charlie King & Rick Burkhardt
Hatred Has No Place by David Heitler-Klevans * (of Two of a Kind)
I Have Seen Freedom Being Born by Si Kahn
$20 Bill (about the murder of George Floyd) by Tom Prasada-Rao
America the Dream by Steve Schuch & Mike Bradley (rewrite of "America the Beautiful inspired by MLK - americathedream.org)

Note: We are working on a list of songs that should never have been put in our songbooks because their content either contributes to or is complicit with the systemic culture of white supremacy. We did three "Music for Justice" programs in July and August 2020 focusing on racial justice issues: