Black Nationalism

Printer-friendly version

  Watch Nina Simone perform the song, To Be Young, Gifted and Black.  You'll revisit this song later in the term with a different artist performing it and sounding very different. 

Listen carefully to the words of the song (shown below). Her words focus on building self-esteem for the youth of the African-American community. Reading the words below, notice how she focuses on tearing down the stereotype of young blacks as ignorant and inferior. She challenges the youth of the community to rise above their circumstances, above their personal challenges, and any challenges the community has endured. Implied in the text is her understanding of the signi�cance of correcting historical accounts of African and American history and infusing an analysis and understanding of contributions of Blacks to the nation within that history. Powerful and profound, these words seem to embody the essence of what the Black National movement sought to instill in the community.

To be young, gifted and black, Oh what a lovely precious dream

To be young, gifted and black, Open your heart to what I mean In the whole world you know

There's a billion boys and girls Who are young, gifted and black,

And that's a fact!

You are young, gifted and black We must begin to tell our young There's a world waiting for you

Yours is the quest that's just begun When you feel really low Yeah, there's a great truth you should know

When you're young, gifted and black Your soul's intact

Young, gifted and black How I long to know the truth

There are times when I look back And I am haunted by my youth Oh but my joy of today

Is that we can all be proud to say To be young, gifted and black

Is where it's at