BHM Spotlight: Bob Marley

MO (lk)
Black History Month is also celebrated in Jamaica in February, along with Reggae Month. Last Saturday would have been Bob Marley's 76th birthday. The legendary Jamaican-born singer-songwriter and musician pioneered reggae music and made it globally beloved. His music and his lyrics were brilliant as they gave voice to marginalized people, including Rastafarians. It identified oppressors and agitated for social change, while also allowing listeners to, "forget their troubles and dance." Today we listened to "Redemption Song" by Bob Marley. In it he borrows from a speech by noted orator Marcus Garvey, whose views on uniting people of African descent were a strong influence on Rastafarian principles. This was his last song on his final album. He died in 1981 in Miami due to complications from a rare form of skin cancer.
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