Dear Nina,
The centrality of African American women in jazz and the civil rights movement is largely ignored or undervalued. Your stake in both highlights the critical importance you played in the construction of a radical militant stance against your white counterparts — how did this ideological focus begin to shape the creation and expression of your pieces?
The year 1963 also seems to mark a turning point in the subjects of your music and the progression of the rights movement. You explained that “Mississippi Goddam” came to you “in a rush of fury, hatred, and determination.” I’d like to know why the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church spurred you to begin including an underlying message of active resistance in your recording repertoire.
There must have been something uniquely empowering about delivering these calls to action — did you feel that your music acted like a vehicle to spur the mobilization of your black peers against their oppressors?
In a period of time where mental illnesses were more stigmatized, did you feel that your diagnosis actually enabled you to evoke more heartbreakingly raw emotions? Particularly in your more formative years, did a backdrop of intimate partner violence and self-doubt play a role in defining your music?
Thanks!
Cat Zhao