The late great choir master, Professor Carlton Reese led the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights Choir, an organization that was formed after the NAACP was banned by the state in 1956. The choir backed Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth and others during mass meetings that were a part of the movement that brought international attention to America’s injustices to Black Americans. Reese wrote many songs that were ultimately classified as American Folk Music and now listed Smithsonian label, but didn’t secure copyright to financially benefit from much of his music. We remember the life of #MLK but also Professor Reese and others that contributed music to the Movement. #BlackHistoryMonth

📹BCRI Oral History, 1996

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#mlkday #musicians #civilrights #birminghamal #birminghamalabama #choirdirector #gospelmusic #carltonreese #civilrightsmovement