Nina Simone Civil Rights Activist

Nina Simone became an active civil rights activist in the 1960’s and worked with other civil rights activists, including; Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and even Betty Shabazz. Throughout this period Simone used her music to highlight the struggles the African American Community faced in their pursuit of equal rights. Nina Simone is an inspiration to me because she showed that no matter what life threw at her, ranging from an abusive father and husband to the denial of her admission to Curtis Institute of Music, which was said to be because of the color of her skin. In middle school and several parts of high school, I was ridiculed, called names, and bullied because of the color of my skin. Through implications in Nina Simone’s song, “young, gifted and black,” she taught me that being black is

People are not easy to know. They're not easy to know, so if you don't tell them how you feel, you're not going to get anywhere.” No matter what she faced in life she was not afraid to speak her mind and also to stand up for what was right. Similarly to Nina Simone I was told countless times that I would never amount to anything, and told to give up, but because Nina Simone I was able to prove several of them wrong. During the late 1980’s, Nina Simone was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and around 1993 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. However, even her death in 2003 could not stop her from being influential and also from being remembered for her contributions to the battle for equal rights. Last year, I was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease, which is due to hyperthyroidism in which my thyroid overproduces too much hormone. This causes constant mood swings, increased anxiety, insomnia, and even a fast heart rate. I am now on multiple medicines in an attempt to battle the disease, and when given a chance to “take the easier way out,” I chose to stay and fight the