KC Johnson

Lecture #1

Hattie McDaniel’s acceptance speech at Oscars:

Lecture #2

Footage of Rosa Parks story

Lecture #4

Video and text of “I Have A Dream” delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King.

Another site for the text

(Downloadable video of this speech is available at Segment 1 on KC’s site.)

Lecture #5

Example of a gospel song as used in black church: rendition of “Jesus Can Work It Out (if you let him).” (play to 4 minutes)

Mahalia Jackson on the Nat King Cole Show 1957 performing “Down By the Riverside”

Mahalia Jackson singing “Joshua Fit the Battle” on the Bell Telephone Hour Show in 1962:

Mahalia Jackson singing “How I Got Over” allegedly on the March on Washington, before Martin L. King gave his I Have A Dream Speech. Medium-poor video quality but it’s an amazing rendition. Note the audience response:

1939, Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes introducing Marian Anderson before she sings “My Country Tis Of Thee” in front of the Lincoln Memorial:

Marian Anderson in 1939 in front of the Lincoln Memorial singing “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”:

Aretha Franklin singing same song at Obama’s inauguration:

Aretha Franklin singing “Bridge Over Troubled Watesr” probably around 1970. Besides showing her when she still had a terrific voice (!), it shows the influence of gospel with the improv at the end and throughout: