Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon 1933 - 2003
Eunice Waymon, known professionally as Nina Simone, is one of the most influential musicians/Civil Rights activists.
Stokes returned to the city that propelled him to its highest office in 1980 to serve as legal counsel for the national headquarters of the United Auto Workers. He was later appointed municipal court judge in Cleveland, and remained on the bench till the mid 90s. Stokes’ final stint as a government official came when President Bill Clinton appointed Stokes U.S. ambassador to Seychelles.
At the early age of seven, Simone was playing the piano for her church’s choir when a music teacher discovered her. Convinced her talent was transcendent, the music teacher began giving Simone intensive lessons soon after and continued for five years. The training was centered around the hope of Simone becoming the first Black classical pianist.
In order to keep the dream, Simone’s church collected donations whenever she was performing and eventually saved enough to help send Simone to the elite Juilliard School in New York. Sadly, the cost of tuition was too great, forcing Simone to leave school after just one year.
To earn a living, Simone played piano at a popular night club. Her boss was unsatisfied with Simone playing piano exclusively and demanded she also sing to entertain patrons. Though Simone had no prior experience singing, she obliged and uncovered yet another unrivaled talent. It was at this time in her life that Eunice Waymon became Nina Simone.
Simone brilliantly wove Civil Rights activism into her music. Following a string of unconscionable murders and attacks targeting Black citizens in the South, Simone released “Mississippi Goddam.” In it, Simone highlights the injustices faced by the Black community in the 60s.
Alabama's gotten me so upset
Tennessee made me lose my rest
And everybody knows about Mississippi goddam…
Hound dogs on my trail
School children sitting in jail
Black cat cross my path
I think every day's gonna be my last
While the song is universally loved today, when released, it was certainly not without controversy. To put it plainly, Black America adored Simone and the song for its brutal honesty, while White America expressed more interest in punishing Simone rather than celebrating her. Simone was banned from performing in many lounges, and her records were destroyed by White Americans offended by the message.
Simone dreamt of breaking down the barriers of justice and equality, working with other Civil Rights icons Malcolm X, Dr. King, and Muhammad Ali.
Simone’s seminal musical work was her 1965 version of “Strange Fruit,” stressing the terror of lynching in the United States. Simone was not the original writer or performer of this song. Billie Holiday originally performed this song as an adaptation from the poem by Abel Meeropol. However, Simone’s version is most memorable as she performs every note as if watching a lynching under duress at that very moment. Simone masterfully captures the emotional reality for Black people living with the daily terroristic threat of violence.
Southern trees bearing strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the roots
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
Pastoral scene of the gallant south
Them big bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
Scent of magnolia, clean and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck
For the sun to rot, for the leaves to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop
Simone possessed a unique ability to evoke raw, real emotions from listeners. She cared about the future of Black youth and refused to allow White America to censor her message. She informed, she inspired, and she fought for what she knew was right.
