AllMovie

Oscar and Emmy-winning actor Louis Gossett, Jr. narrates this dramatic look at the people who raised their voices in song against racism and inequality. Change was in the air, and it was the singers and songwriters of such unforgettable melodies as "A Change is Gonna Come", "Blowin' in the Wind", and "People Get Ready who helped give the Civil Rights Movement it's anthems and soul. Hear firsthand accounts of how the Mississippi Freedom Riders used music to summon courage in the face of great danger, reflect on the brutality of enforced segregation with Billy Holiday's haunting ballad "Strange Fruit", and watch as the seeds of change that were planted in the 1960s blossoms in the music, politics, and culture of the decades that followed. Extensive interviews with Quincy Jones, Chuck D, Isaac Hayes, Gladys Knight, and others combine with never-before-seen historic footage to offer an absorbing account of a time of unprecedented social transformation.