Nina Simone was a beautiful woman. Not just in terms of physical appearance, but mental aptitude. She exuded an understanding and love for black people one can truly appreciate as the love of a mother for her child. Not only did she talk it, but she lived it through life, actions and spirit.

When asked by this reporter in an unknown year what she think freedom is, her response sent chills down my spine because I can relate. As a black man in this country, all we want is for the laughter and fearlessness of our children to last a life time. However, in this world of white supremacy mentality, those days of childhood fearlessness don’t often last very long.

Towards the end of her response, Simone says, “I’ll tell you what freedom means to me. NO FEAR! I mean really, NO FEAR! If I could have that half of my life, no fear. Lots of children have no fear. That’s the closest way…that’s not all of it, but it is something to really feel…”

NO FEAR! What a way to capsulate what freedom means to any individual.

What do you think freedom means?

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Nina Simone (/ˈniːnə sɨˈmoʊn/; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist who worked in a broad range of musical styles including classical, jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel, and pop.

Born in North Carolina, the sixth child of a preacher, Simone aspired to be a concert pianist,[1] but was denied a scholarship to the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, despite a well-received audition. Simone became fully convinced her rejection had been entirely due to her race. Soon after Simone moved to New York City where she enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music.[2] To fund her musical education and become a classical pianist, she began playing at a small club in Atlantic City.

Source: Wikipedia