Social movements are the collective, unofficial and anti-institutional actions by ordinary citizens with the intent of changing the current status of their societies. Social movements have a great impact as compared to any legislation or political party. This is because according to various studies on social movements they are interwoven interactions with a strong cultural footing as compared to legislations and political parties. Reed uses the concept of culture in three different ways based on the readers. For example, students and general readers are presented social movements in the view of artistic and cultural expression. The aspect of social movements and culture is presented to scholars with the view of facilitating the establishment of the relations between culture and social movements. Lastly, for activists, it provides a collection of ideas and inspirations on how culture and art can be used in furthering the movement goals.
However, it is essential noting that the three explanations used for culture and social movement interrelations overlap based on the interests or languages of the reader. For example, a student of social movement and culture can also act as an activist in the social movement activities. Therefore, such as a student will have the different perspectives of the relations between culture and social movements as a student and an activist. There are various ways in which culture influences social movements, which include music, murals and poetry among others. Music specifically accounted for a significant role in the African civil rights movement, in the US. For example, the freedom songs, which were deep seated, in the African religion and secular musical traditions. These acted as a major resource in the struggle for equal rights among African Americans.
Music had numerous influences on the fight for equal rights by African Americans as it would entertain, educate and provide motivation which provided strength and hope of transition. Music is said to present and reflect the present environment and the freedom songs by various artists provided hope for the black American community fighting for equal rights. In addition, music plays an imperative role in changing the community people live. For example, during the fight for equal rights, there were numerous instances when the community would turn hopeless and music played an imperative role changing the attitudes of the hopeless community.
The music used in civil rights movements predominantly originated from religious related music where religious phrases were exchanged with freedom phrases. For example, a religious song “woke up this morning with my mind on Jesus..” changed to “ woke up this morning with my mind on freedom”. Another phrase also included “over my head I see Jesus in the air” changed to “over my head; I see freedom in the air. The civil rights movement songs played an imperative role in relaying the message of urgency of freedom and providing courage to the people, in the fight for equal rights. The freedom songs provided a creative and an endless adaptive style in the fight for equal rights for the African Americans.
The songs presented in the module by Outkast, Bob Marley, Aloe Blacc and Joan Baez is freedom songs based on their messages and audiences. For example, the soul music Aloe Blacc sang about transformations and future plans, composing a collection of soul and black Americans emotions in entirety. Bob Marley sang numerous songs on freedom and discrimination of the African American people such as ‘Redemption song’. Joan Baez presented her songs in various civil rights movements meetings, and also presented a song on her meeting with Martin Luther King Jr. Therefore, these artists played an imperative role in producing music, which played an essential role during the civil rights movements.
