Powerful blog entry about Mavis Staples...
Thursday, April 12, 2007 Waiting Room: Mavis Staples "Eyes on the Prize"
A legendary voice in American music re-emerges to spark a new generation with images from the past...pay attention Don Imus...
Youtube.com: href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZWdDI_fkns" target="_blank">Mavis Staples - Eyes On The Prize
dir. by ?
Not sure if this is an official clip or not, but we'll take any chance we get to talk about Mavis Staples' new album. Her reworking of a popular civil rights anthem (which itself originated as a spiritual) is given a relevant treatment here, despite the familiarity of the images. This isn't just another compilation of protests, Dr. King and the Ku Klux Klan.
The most harrowing moment of the video comes 45 seconds in, when a black man is inhumanely harassed by white men as he peacefully walks down the street. You've probably seen similar things before, whether in high school history class or a documentary on television, but that doesn't really make it any less horrible. It's hard to watch, but an important reminder of how deeply ingrained feelings of hatred were - and how much had to be overcome (not that the journey's over).
Check out the rest of the blog here: href="http://obtusity.blogspot.com/2007/04/waiting-room-mavis-staples-eyes-on.html" target="_blank">obtusity.blogspot.com