When she heard a radio report about a church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, that killed four little girls, folk singer Nina Simone was so upset she tried to build her own handgun from scrap metal. Civil rights activists and black communities were attacked, bombed and killed by racists. During the March on Washington, he performed a bitter song addressing the discrimination of black citizens - 'Only a pawn in their game.'ġ963 was an important year for the civil rights movement - and it was also a year that saw a lot of violence against black people in the US. Bob Dylan Image: APīob Dylan was one of the best-known musician of the civil rights movement, with his songs 'The times they are a' changin'' and 'Blowin' in the wind' becoming hymns of those opposing oppression. Joan Baez' rendition is one of the most famous.įolk and protest songs helped make the movement against segregation and racism hugely popular, as well as creating a feeling of community and togetherness among the protesters.

Activists sang it whenever they took to the streets in protest. His vision defined the civil rights movement, and the gospel from 1903 - 'We shall overcome' - became its creed. 'I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.' On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr, one of the leaders of the civil rights movement, held his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech.

I had a dream martin luther king