Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States, where we reflect on his life (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) and the lasting legacy of his peaceful civil rights movement, a turning point in human history. The radio has been full of interesting conversations, historical soundbites and powerful music of that period, the latter seeming most fitting, as music has and will always act as a means to carry messages of hope & inspiration. "Jazz speaks for life," King said at a 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival. "The blues tell the story of life's difficulties — and, if you think for a moment, you realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph. This is triumphant music." Thus NPR's special today, "Songs Of The Civil Rights Movement", revisited everything from Gospel, Soul, Jazz and beyond. May we suggest our favorite voices on that playlist, Sam Cooke and Nina Simone, or take the time to revisit King's inspiring "I have a dream" speech from 1963.
