One of the songs that symbolizes the Civil Rights Movement of the 50s and 60s, is a song call "We Shall Overcome" The discovery and origin of the song is quite interesting as you'll see in this history taken from The Kennedy Center, "The Story Behind The Song".
"On September 2, 1957, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., visited Highlander Folk School in Tennessee. Part of the school's mission was to help prepare civil rights workers to challenge unjust laws and racist policies that discriminated against African Americans. The school also made a point of bringing Black and white people together to share experiences and to learn from each other. It was a dangerous idea. At a time when southern laws kept Black and white people segregated (or separate), some white racists terrorized African Americans with deadly violence. Dr. King delivered the main speech that day, honouring the school's 25th anniversary. As part of the meeting, folk singer Pete Seeger got up with his banjo. He plucked out a song he had learned at Highlander and led the audience in singing it. Later that day, Dr. King found himself humming the tune in the car. "There's something about that song that haunts you," he said to his companions.
That song was "We Shall Overcome." It soon became the anthem of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. It offered courage, comfort, and hope as protesters confronted prejudice and hate in the battle for equal rights for African Americans." On this final week of Black History (365) We honor a praise our God, for giving us a song and freedom that only comes from knowing Him. We Shall Overcome, some day, deep in my heart, I still believe, that we shall overcome some day! How Long! Not Long!
