The Freedom Singers

In the early 1960s, folk singing and political activism went hand-in-hand. In the South in particular, participants in the Civil Rights Movement sang spirituals like "We Shall Overcome" and "We Shall Not Be Moved" as they marched in the streets. The Freedom Singers were formed in the midst of civil rights battles in Albany, Georgia in 1962. After being expelled from Albany State College for her civil rights work, Bernice Johnson moved to Saratoga Springs, New York. She worked as a waitress, and took part in a hootenanny at Carnegie Hall sponsored by the folk magazine, Sing Out...