Nina Simone

I was really taken back by the words of "Four Women". I had never heard or heard of that song before so when I watched the first YouTube clip where Kelly Price, etc. were singing it I kept wondering what the title of the song was. The story of each woman was really powerful and it gave you a very accurate view into each of their worlds. Whether you were bi-racial, a prostitute, perceived as completely bitter, or just "plain ole" Aunt Sarah, there was a lot of darkness in each life. To be honest, it is hard for me to hear songs like that because it really hurts my heart. I've been so unbelievably fortunate enough to grow up in a time where although there is still racism, I am free to walk around the same way my white friends do- use the same bathroom, stores, play on the same sports team, get the same education, etc. It is nothing that I've done in myself to where I deserve this, I was simply born in a "more accepting" generation. It hurts to hear how black people, especially women, were treated years ago and all that they had to endure. It's not right, it's not fair, it's not how God intended life to be at all. I can't imagine growing up the way my grandparents and great grandparents had to, but I'm thankful that they did because through it they taught my parents strong life lessons that they have now passed on to me. There is a Bible verse that talks about how God turns the evil deeds of men and uses them for good. My ancestors were strong people and endured a lot of oppression and hate- things that I can't even fathom- and that gives me a legacy to be proud of.

It was clearly evident how close the lives of black women were to Nina Simone's heart even before I read her biography. After reading her biography, I felt like she identified the most with Peaches. She seemed to be so angry about the racism that was running rampant in America at that time and how it was affecting her life and the lives of the people around her that she loved. She had been rejected and taken advantage of multiple times and by a certain point in her life she had simply had enough. Her music was used as anthems during the black movement, which she was part of herself, and it gave inspiration to black women during that time. Women were able to identify with her characters portrayed in "Four Women" and other songs and it gave them an outlet to be flat-out angry it appears. What I'm the most impressed with is how Nina Simone didn't just be angry though, she used her talent for the cause she was fighting. She was able to say "Look America- this is how black women are being treated and it's not at all right!" through her music. She used the talent that she had to voice her feelings in a form that people would listen to at this time. Too often I feel like people just stay angry and are content to do so and feel "justified" since they've been wronged in a situation. Although it is true that there are situations that are completely unfair, everyone has the choice to do something about it. I can't say that I have respect for the people that complain and remain bitter without even attempting to make a change compared with the people like Nina Simone and Martin Luther King, Jr. and many others who saw something wrong, got up, and did what they could about it. Not everyone has the same abilities to inspire- although I can play the piano and read music after taking lessons for years, I'll never be a Nina Simone because that is not the talent that God gave me. I also don't have the gift of commanding an audience the way Martin Luther King did. I'm not exposed to hundreds of thousands of people that I can have a personal influence on during the course of my life like many artists and celebrities are.It's about using the talents you do have to make a change where you can. I'm not fighting for freedom or my rights to the same degree that Nina Simone and others had to, but reading about her definitely convicts me about fighting for the things that I do believe in and need to fight for. Everyone is going to live some sort of impact on this world and we are in control of the level of that impact.