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Biography – The Official Home of Nina Simone | The High Priestess of Soul

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To survive, she began teaching music to local students. One fateful day in 1954, looking to supplement her income, Eunice auditioned to play piano at the Midtown Bar & Grill on Pacific Avenue in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The owner informed her that not only would she be hired to play but she was al…

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Billie Holiday, born April 7, 1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was a superstar of her day. She first rose to prominence in the 1930's with a unique style that reinvented the conventions of modern singing and performance. More than 80 years after making her first recording Billie's legacy continues to embody what is elegant and cool in contemporary music. Holiday's complicated life and her genre-defining autobiography "Lady Sings the Blues" made her a cultural icon. The evocative, soulful voice which she boldly put forth as a force for good, turned any song she sang into her own. Today, Billie Holiday is remembered for her musical masterpieces, her songwriting skills, creativity and courageous views on inequality and justice.

Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan Gough) grew up in jazz-soaked Baltimore of the 1920s. In her early teens, the beginning part of her "apprenticeship" was spent singing along with the records of iconoclasts Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong. In 1929 Billie's mother Sadie Fagan moved to New York in search of better jobs. Young Eleanora soon joined her there and began showing up at jazz clubs to audition and sing with resident pianists. She made debuts in obscure Harlem nightclubs, sharing tips with other dancers and comedians on the bill. Around this time she borrowed her professional name Billie Holiday from screen actress Billie Dove. Although she never received technical training and never learned how to read music, Holiday quickly became an active participant in what was then the most vibrant jazz scene in the country - as the Harlem Renaissance transitioned into the Swing Era.

At age 18, after gathering more life experience than most adults, Holiday was spotted by producer John Hammond with whom she cut her first record as part of a studio group led by clarinetist Benny Goodman - then on the verge of his own superstardom. From 1935 to 1941 Holiday's career accelerated, recording hit after hit with pianist/arranger Teddy Wilson. Simultaneously, in 1936 she began a legendary string of collaborations with tenor sax giant Lester Young, who's complimentary tone was a perfect trading partner for Billie. They became the best of friends and inseparable, legendary musical partners, even living together with Billie's mother for a time. Lester would famously christen her "Lady Day" as she would him "The Prez". By the time Holiday joined Kansas City's phenomenal Count Basie Orchestra for tours in 1937 she was an unstoppable force, suited for top billing across the United States. In 1938 Artie Shaw invited her to front his Orchestra, making Billie the first black women to work with a white band - an impressive and courageous accomplishment.

In the 1930's, during her epic run at Barney Josephson's Cafe Society in Manhattan, she was introduced to the poem "Strange Fruit," a horrific depiction of lynching in the Southern United States. The music was written just for Billie and it became the hallmark of her concerts. It's considered by scholars to be the first protest song of the civil rights era. The lyric was so controversial that her record label wouldn't record it. So she jumped over to the independent Commodore Records where she could record and sing as she pleased. "Strange Fruit" immediately became a cultural spark-point and a hit record too.

In 1939, with Arthur Herzog, Jr., she wrote "God Bless The Child", a composition that transcends the ages and is now part of the great American songbook and jazz lexicon. In 1944 she signed with prestigious Decca Records, cutting still more classics and even a couple duets with her first musical hero Louis Armstrong - with whom she'd later star in the Hollywood film "New Orleans" (1949).

Starting in 1952 Billie began a five year run with Norman Granz' Clef/Verve label. Granz was the entrepreneur behind the "Jazz At The Philharmonic" series and he was very sensitive to the needs of artists. He put Billie back into small group settings from which her genius had originally grown. Together they made roughly 100 new recordings, constituting Billie's first forays into the high-fidelity album era. Her voice became more rugged and shockingly intimate. She put this new signature sound on scores of stirring ballads such as her self-reflecting composition "Lady Sings The Blues". During this period she expanded her repertoire while also re-recording many of her 1930's classics in her new style. Redefining herself as the "Torch Singer", she appeared twice on TV's "Tonight Show with Steve Allen", on CBS's historic "The Sound Of Jazz" program and also toured Europe.

In 1958, she signed to Columbia Records, the longtime home base of A&R man John Hammond, who had been instrumental in her early career. For Columbia she created her swan song masterpiece album "Lady In Satin". Final studio recordings were made for MGM in March 1959 and were released posthumously.

Billie Holiday, died at the age of 44 and is buried at Saint Raymond's Cemetery in Bronx County, NY. Her music and life continue to inspire tributes. Whether it's Nina Simone covering "Strange Fruit"; Diana Ross starring as Lady Day in the film "Lady Sings the Blues"; U2 penning their hit "Angel Of Harlem"; her image on a United States postage stamp; Time Magazine's "Song Of The Century" Award; scores of biographies and a dozen Grammy Awards, her emotive voice, innovative technique and touching songs will forever be a hallmark of genius.

Despite her lack of technical training, Holiday's uncanny syncopations, her inimitable phrasing and her dramatic intensity made her the outstanding jazz singer of her day. White gardenias, worn in her hair, were her trademark.

Ever combining her typical humor with profound gravitas, she wrote in her autobiography, "Singing songs like the 'The Man I Love' or 'Porgy' is no more work than sitting down and eating Chinese roast duck, and I love roast duck. I've lived songs like that."

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Bio - The Official Website of Billie Holiday

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Billie Holiday, born April 7, 1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was a superstar of her day. She first rose to prominence in the 1930's with a unique style that reinvented the conventions of modern singing and performance. More than 80 years after making her first recording Billie's legacy continues to embody what is elegant and cool in contemporary music.

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Twenty years ago, the deaths of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks at the hands of white policemen would have led to loud protests by their families and friends, and the usual ensuing investigations that would find little fault. With time their stories would have faded away as their families sought, in vain, justice. Civil suits for their wrongful deaths would have (and may still) cost the taxpayers millions, not a penny of whichever comes from the police on the scene.

Now, though, technology has put a camera in every pocket, and we are seeing in real-time the ugly truth of what white people have generally denied and Black people have lived with for decades.

Their deaths have brought together a startling confluence of issues against the backdrop of a disorienting pandemic.

Mass incarceration: Young Black men being warehoused

The first issue is mass incarceration. It would take pages to analyze the statistics, but, stripped to the basics, America has the highest rate of incarceration of any country in the world.

We have only 5% of the world's population, but 25% of its prisoners. There are 2.3 million Americans behind bars, a disproportionate number of them are black or brown, and most are locked up for nonviolent offenses. Led by tough politicians and prosecutors and their war on drugs and three-strikes-and-you're-out mentalities, we incarcerate our own at an alarming rate.

One million young Black men are being warehoused behind bars for drug offenses. Once released, they cannot legally be discriminated against because of their race, but they face a lifetime of discrimination as felons. At the current rate of incarceration, one in three Black men will serve time.

George Floyd's alleged crime was passing a $20 counterfeit bill. He was alleged to have been drunk or on drugs in public, another minor crime. When confronted with the prospect of arrest, he resisted, another crime. Would it have been possible for the police to issue him a citation to appear in court, then take him home? Ninety-five percent of those charged with crimes show up in court to face their charges.

Rayshard Brooks' alleged crime was being drunk in public, not exactly a capital offense. He had fallen asleep at the wheel and was blocking traffic. For 20 minutes the two policemen interrogated him, during which time he offered to walk to his sister's home. When confronted with an arrest, he resisted and tried to run away, leaving his car behind.

From street cops to federal prosecutors, the mind-set in this country is to arrest as many people as possible, get them in jail, then throw everything at them so they'll be forced to plead guilty to something.

Bail reform long overdue

The second issue is bail reform. Every Black American knows that an arrest will be compounded by the cruelty of bail. Regardless of the crime, a suspect, presumed innocent until proven guilty, must post a cash bail. This invariably forces the family to scramble to find scarce money while the suspect sits in jail, often for days or weeks. Jobs are lost, families are disrupted, driver's licenses are revoked.

To have any chance of getting processed or getting out, the accused are often forced to plead guilty to other, often more tenuous charges. The abusive use of plea bargains is the greatest single cause of wrongful convictions.
Woman speaks out: My experience in pretrial detention in Mississippi and why it needs to end
Is it really surprising that both Floyd and Brooks resisted arrest?

Militarization of police, harsh sentencing problematic

The third issue is the militarization of our police. After decades of bloated defense budgets, the Pentagon has far more hardware than it can ever hope to use. It sells its surplus to the police, and nowadays even smaller cities have their own tanks and helicopters to quell riots and stop the looting. Armed with more military equipment than our soldiers had in Vietnam, the police often feel the need to flex their muscle and try out their fancy weapons.

The vast majority of white Americans are appalled at the deaths of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks and support the peaceful protests. They are being met with small armies of riot-trained commandos, some with itchy fingers. T

The gassing of the peaceful protesters by federal police in Lafayette Park, carefully planned and orchestrated to set the stage for a bizarre presidential photo-op, is a perfect example of state-sanctioned police brutality. Dozens of lawsuits will be filed and settled out of court, with the taxpayers once again holding the bag. The First Amendment gets stomped on by people who've never read it.

We are living in a police state, where SWAT teams stage dramatic night-time raids to arrest people for writing bad checks and warrior cops fire rubber bullets at protesters and reporters with impunity. Policing for fines, fees, and forfeitures produce badly needed cash for cities, but also lead to aggressive tactics, especially in poor neighborhoods.

Prosecutors have at their disposal over 5,000 criminal statutes to play with. Seasoned judges are handcuffed by harsh guidelines and have no discretion when sentencing. We spend twice the money on law enforcement, courts and prisons than on welfare and food stamps. No wonder 15% of American children face hunger issues. We spend $30,000 a year to house an inmate and $12,000 a year to educate a child in public schools.

Racism factor in every aspect of criminal justice

The fourth issue is by far the most complicated: race. The glaring truth is that Black suspects are treated differently than white suspects. Racism is a huge factor in every aspect of criminal justice - profiling, arrests, bail, prosecution, trials, convictions, sentencing. Race is a significant reason for wrongful convictions.

For the past 12 years, I've had the privilege of serving on the board of the Innocence Project. Its mission is to exonerate the innocent who are incarcerated, and there are thousands of them. We also push for new laws and policies that seek to remedy the systemic causes of wrongful convictions. In the past 25 years, we have worked to exonerate 370 innocent men and women through DNA testing. Seventy percent of them are black or brown.

Perhaps the deaths of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks are forcing America to confront these issues, and though we have been here before, it seems as if we are finally at the breaking point. Millions of Americans, Black and white, are in the streets demanding justice and meaningful change, and the protests are growing, not fading away. It is time for action.

Solutions exist, if only we had the political will

Some of the solutions could happen overnight, if only we had the political will. Cash bail for nonviolent offenses should be eliminated, freeing tens of thousands of suspects. All, I repeat, are presumed to be innocent.

We should surrender in the war on drugs, lay down our arms and decriminalize - not legalize. The billions we waste on drug courts and prisons could be spent on prevention, education, recovery and rehabilitation. Harsh, mandatory sentences should be eliminated and replaced with sensible guidelines that allow our judges' discretion. These two ideas alone would drastically reduce our prison populations and take enormous pressure off state budgets.

The policing for fines, fees and forfeitures must be seriously curtailed. Each year hundreds of thousands of low-wage workers lose their drivers' licenses because of unpaid and unfair court fines and fees.

Police brutality and prosecutorial misconduct go unpunished because the bad actors are protected by a shield of immunity. But this immunity is granted by statutes that can and should be removed so that everyone is accountable.

Other solutions are more complicated. Police spending needs to prioritize the building and protection of safe and equitable communities, not surveillance and punishment.

On the issue of race, I offer nothing original. Until white Americans can look at Black Americans with empathy because of their history of enslavement and their epic struggle for equality, and view them as equals, little will change.

I challenge all white people to watch the eight-minute video of George Floyd suffocating under the weight of a policeman's knee on his neck, and ask ourselves: Would this have happened had he been white?
Author John Grisham provided this opinion column to the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit news organization..
Watch the video of Rayshard Brooks being shot twice in the back as he ran away and ask ourselves: Would this have happened had he been white?

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John Grisham: Ugly truth of racism, injustice there for all to see

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There are solutions to some issues, if the political will is there. But until white Americans can view Black Americans as equals, little will change.

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Malcolm X - Interview At Berkeley (1963)

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Michael Jackson - Black or White (Official Video - Upscaled)

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Malcolm X: Make it Plain | Article

Malcolm and the Civil Rights Movement

Although they only met once, Malcolm X was often asked his opinion of Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement. Initially scornful of King and his strategies, Malcolm later began to recognize the worth of - and even began tentative participation in - the movement.

Same Problem, Different Directions
Near the end of his life, Malcolm X publicly recognized that "Dr. King wants the same thing I want - freedom!" But for most of his ministry he did not identify with King and the civil rights movement. Although both Black Muslims and King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference had the same general goals of defeating white racism and empowering African Americans, Malcolm and King had different tended to speak at different venues (street corners vs. churches) and had different aims. Malcolm, who would publicly deny that he was even an American, worked for a Nation of Islam that sought to create a separate society for its members. Malcolm rejected integration with white America as a worthwhile aim (deriding it as "coffee with a cracker") and particularly opposed non-violence as a means of attaining it. "That's what you mean by non-violent," he said, "be defenseless." In Malcolm's mind, the African American could never surrender his right of self-defense against white violence.

Nothing But Scorn
As for the apostle of non-violence, for years Malcolm showed him nothing but scorn. King was a "fool," a modern-day "Uncle Tom," and his march, where King gave his celebrated speech, just a "farce on Washington." The "white man pays Reverend Martin Luther King, subsidizes Reverend Martin Luther King, so that Reverend Martin Luther King can continue to teach the Negroes to be defenseless." And the Christianity that motivated King was "the white man's religion." For his part, civil rights leader Thurgood Marshall called the Nation of Islam "a bunch of thugs organized from prisons and jails and financed, I am sure, by some Arab group." King himself took the higher road, rarely criticizing Malcolm but also refusing to publicly debate him. King would not debate, his secretary told Malcolm, because "he has always considered his work in a positive action framework rather than engaging in consistent negative debate."

Changing Times, Changing Notions
As time passed, Malcolm X became less confrontational towards King and the rest of the civil rights movement, a shift that came in tandem with his growing estrangement from Elijah Muhammad. To be sure, the Nation of Islam talked a good game, but when Los Angeles Temple secretary Ronald Stokes, originally from Roxbury, was gunned down by police, Muhammad refused to permit an aggressive response, counting on God to avenge the incident. In Malcolm's words, "[Muhammad] is willing to wait for Allah to deal with this devil, [but] the rest of us black Muslims...don't have this gift of divine patience with the devil. The younger black Muslims want to see some action." Meanwhile, King and his followers were scoring a number of social and legislative victories.

No Longer Adversaries
Bit by bit, Malcolm began a process of engagement with the movement. He went to Washington and witnessed debate on the Civil Rights Bill of 1964, running into King in the process. "I'm throwing myself into the heart of the civil rights struggle," Malcolm said. Where previously his separatism had meant no interest in voting, he now told Mississippi youth that he was with voter registration efforts "one thousand per cent." He accepted an invitation from the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee to speak in Selma, Alabama, and had conciliatory words for Coretta Scott King, whose husband was then in jail. "I want Dr. King to know that I didn't come to Selma to make his job difficult," Malcolm said. "If the white people realize what the alternative is, perhaps they will be more willing to hear Dr. King." While never embracing King's Christianity or his commitment to non-violence, near the end of his life Malcolm X gave indications that he was willing to work with the fellow preacher, that they could be, if not exactly partners, then at least no longer adversaries in the quest for civil rights.

Condolences
In a telegram to Betty Shabazz after Malcolm's assassination, Martin Luther King Jr. said, "While we did not always see eye-to-eye on methods to solve the race problem, I always had a deep affection for Malcolm and felt he had a great ability to put his finger on the existence and root of the problem. He was an eloquent spokesman for his point of view and no one can honestly doubt that Malcolm had a great concern for the problems we face as a race...."

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Malcolm and the Civil Rights Movement | American Experience | PBS

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Initially scornful of King and his strategies, Malcolm later began to recognize the worth of - and even began tentative participation in - the movement.

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Race Official Trailer #1 (2016) Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis Biographical Drama Movie HD

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The Weeknd - Out of Time (Official Video)

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The Weeknd - Out of Time (Official Video)

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The Weeknd - Out of Time (Official Video)

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Malcolm X (1992) Official Trailer - Denzel Washington Movie HD

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An episode on literature, from the podcast "Kiffe ta Race" (love your race) by Rokhaya Diallo and Grace Ly

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Littérature " francophone ", mots pour maux - Kiffe ta race - Binge Audio

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La domination coloniale a aussi été une domination linguistique. Seule langue enseignée dans les écoles, admise dans les tribunaux ou utilisée dans l'administration des territoires colonisés, le français a été le vecteur d'une déculturation encore visible.

En quoi la langue française est-elle " à la fois un lieu d'oppression et un outil d'émancipation " ? Existe-t-il des différences de traitement entre les auteur·ice·s des anciennes colonies et celles et ceux des autres pays francophones comme la Belgique ? Pourquoi l'appellation littérature " francophone " pose question ? Comment s'émanciper de l'impérialisme culturel français ?

Grace Ly et Rokhaya Diallo reçoivent Kaoutar Harchi, écrivaine et sociologue des arts et de la culture, autrice notamment de " Je n'ai qu'une langue et ce n'est pas la mienne " (éd. Fayard, 2016) où elle analyse la place de cinq écrivain·ne·s algérien·ne·s dans la littérature française.

RÉFÉRENCES CITÉES DANS L'ÉMISSION
Kateb Yacine, Assia Djebar, Rachid Boudjedra, Kamel Daoud, Boualem Sansal, Boubacar Boris Diop, éditions Zulma, Mariama Bâ, Aimé Césaire, J.M.G. Le Clézio, La geisha, la panthère et la gazelle (Kiffe ta race, Binge Audio, 2018), Décoloniser les arts de la scène (Kiffe ta race, Binge Audio, 2018), Amélie Nothomb, Georges Simenon, Kaoutar Harchi : " La langue française est à la fois un lieu d'oppression et un outil d'émancipation " écrit par Mehdi Fikri publié sur humanite.fr le 27 septembre 2017, Assia Djebar, Charles Ferdinand Ramuz, Le Sympathisant (Viet Thanh Nguyen, éd. Grove Atlantic, 2015), Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Salman Rushdie, Claire Ducournau, Fatou Diome, Maryse Condé

CRÉDITS
Kiffe ta race est un podcast de Rokhaya Diallo et Grace Ly produit par Binge Audio. Réalisation : Quentin Bresson. Générique : Shkyd. Chargée de production : Juliette Livartowski. Chargée d'édition : Diane Jean. Identité graphique : Manon Louvard (Upian). Direction des programmes : Joël Ronez. Direction de la rédaction : David Carzon. Direction générale : Gabrielle Boeri-Charles.

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Littérature " francophone ", mots pour maux - Kiffe ta race - Binge Audio

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La domination coloniale a aussi été une domination linguistique. Seule langue enseignée dans les écoles, admise dans les tribunaux ou utilisée dans l’administration des territoires colonisés, le français a été le vecteur d'une déculturation encore visible. En quoi la langue française est-elle " à la fois un lieu d'oppression et un outil d'émancipation " ?

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Some book recommandations

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Anti-Racism Books to Add to Your Reading List | Powell's Booksst Reading

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Check out Powell's selection of anti-racism books you should add to your reading list. Find your next book on race, injustice, and inequality from Powell's staff.

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To learn more about Little Black Sambo...

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The Story of Little Black Sambo - Wikipedia

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Nina Simone - “Mississippi Goddam!” The Story Behind the Anthem

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Nina Simone | The Road to Carnegie Hall | 1

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Listen to this episode from Legacy on Spotify. Born in the Jim Crow South, Nina Simone's talent is obvious from an early age.

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The Feds vs. the Activists | Billie Holiday | 1

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Listen to this episode from American Scandal on Spotify. Billie Holiday makes a decision. The jazz singer will perform "Strange Fruit," the protest song about lynchings, no matter what happens to her-and no matter how many times law enforcement tells her to stay quiet.

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Great Artists, Cultural Appropriation in the Modernity of Music

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Beyonce Racism Row: Country Radio Station Refused To Play Her Song