The Queen of Gospel music, and civil rights activist Mahalia Jackson was born on this day Oct. 26th, 1911 in history.
She was described by entertainer Harry Belafonte as “the single most powerful black woman in the United States”.
“I sing God’s music because it makes me feel free”, Jackson once said about her choice of gospel, adding, “It gives me hope. With the blues, when you finish, you still have the blues.”
Born on October 26, 1911, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Mahalia Jackson started singing as a child at Mount Moriah Baptist Church and went on to become one of the most revered gospel figures in the U.S.
Mahalia sang ‘How I Got Over’ at the 1963 March on Washington at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
She died on January 27, 1972.
