Remembering Two Strong Voices, Now Still

This year we lost two female singers who are both considered the voice of the fight for racial equality in their country: Miriam Makeba and Odetta. Their singing talents deserve admiration and respect above and beyond the social contributions they made.

Miriam Makeba was a South African singer who unintentionally became the voice of the anti-apartheid movement in that country. Her passport was revoked while she was traveling abroad at age 27. It took her more than three decades to return home, but she never stopped spreading the message of what was happening in her country. My favorite song by Makeba is The Click Song, which she sings in an African language that incorporates clicking. Follow the link to watch and hear her singing it at a concert in Stockholm, Sweden in 1967.

The legendary folk singer and civil rights activist Odetta died of heart disease on December 2. Her last performance was just a few weeks before her death. She had hoped to perform at Barack Obama's inauguration, though she had not yet been invited. The performance below was at the Thresholds Arts Festival in Des Moines this past February. Don't let the wheelchair deceive you...her voice is as strong as ever!