Danielle Brooks is convincing as the legendary Mahalia Jackson in the Lifetime original movie Robin Roberts Presents Mahalia!
I don't know about you, but I've been waiting on this movie since it was announced last year that my girl Danielle Brooks would be portraying Mahalia.
Dear Lord, your gift wasn't my voice. It was my purpose.
I knew that Brooks who grew up in a Christian home(her father was a deacon and her mother a minister) would nail this role.
Born in New Orleans, Mahalia began singing at an early age and went on to become one of the most revered gospel figures in U.S. history, melding her music with the civil rights movement. Her recording of the song "Move on Up a Little Higher" sold millions of copies, skyrocketing her to international fame and gave her the opportunity to perform at diverse settings including in front of a racially integrated audience at the prestigious Carnegie Hall and at John F. Kennedy's inaugural ball. An active supporter of the Civil Rights Movement, Jackson sang at numerous rallies, including the March on Washington in 1963 alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in hopes that her music would encourage and inspire racial equality.
Premiering April 3rd on Lifetime, Mahalia is executive produced by GMA's Robin Roberts and Linda Berman.