“Mississippi Goddam” epitomizes the art adage that the more specific the piece, the more universal the appeal. Nina Simone sings heartily and hurtfully about her rage at the Black Civil Rights Movement during the 60′s. When she sang, they were in the thick of it. She raged at the government, she raged at the bigots, she even raged at members of her community who were not joining the fight for Equality.
As a gay person, or even someone who is familiar with and sympathetic to gay issues, the song can be translated almost exactly to modern day. ”You say, go slow,” she cries at politicians who insist that change must be made slowly. ”I say, too slow,” she follows.
I know this can be a sensitive topic, comparing Black Rights to Gay Rights, but I believe the comparisons are so near-identical that they can’t be ignored. You cannot listen to “Mississippi Goddam” and not think of gay people in the same ugly soup.
I recommend Nina Simone a lot, and I recommend this song a lot. It’s important. Listen.
“Mississippi Goddam” by Nina Simone
