How Did Mavis Influence The Civil Rights Movement

Mavis Staples made an impact on the civil rights movement as a singer. Mavis was in a singing group with her father, brother Pervis, and her two sisters Yvonne and Cleotha.(Family Circle) The family band was created after her father gave up his job as a cotton picker in Illinois. Mavis, at only age ten became the lead singer of the Staples Singers. Her voice sounded a lot older and much bolder than a singer her age should. This group was just the start of the impact that Mavis had on the Civil Rights movement. In 1946 the band made their first official debut. They were given the opportunity to sing in a church in Chicago and the crowd loved them. From then on, the Staples Singers performed more songs and were given the chance to record an …show more content…
Their first big concert in Montgomery, Alabama. It just so happens that Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. actually attended this concert. After their concert they got the pleasure of meeting and talking to this civil rights icon. This meeting had a big influence on what direction the group was going to take next. During the movement the Staples Singers toured many churches in the South. They were reaching people through their gospel and gospel-inspired protest songs. People filled the sanctuaries to listen to Mavis’ voice fill the whole place. During the next several years the Staples Singers wrote and sang songs particularly in support of the American civil rights movement. One of Martin Luther King Junior’s favorite song by the Staples Singers was “Why”, which was used for multiple marches.(Tell Me More) Some of their big songs included “Washington We’re Watching You”, “It’s a Long Walk to D.C.”, and “Why Am I Treated So Bad” these songs were all written to honor the Little Rock Nine.(bio.com) During the Selma-to-Montgomery marches they wrote “March Up Freedoms Highway”. All of the songs were devoted specifically to the dark things that were going on in the nation at that