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After taking home the Golden Globe for Best Original Song on Sunday (Jan. 11), John Legend and Common deliver the visual component to their award-winning song, ‘Glory.’
Scenes from ‘Selma,’ the civil rights film starring David Oyelowo and Oprah Winfrey, are showcased, sending a powerful message of struggle and solidarity. Legend sits comfortably at the piano as his emotional vocals soar on the chorus while Common, who also has a role in the movie, looks dapper and authoritative in his delivery. There are no frills in this video, allowing our full attention to be grabbed by the historical events unfolding onscreen.
If you’re not familiar with the Selma to Montgomery marches in Alabama, they were organized in 1965, to show the desire of black American citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote. The passage of the Voting Rights Act soon followed, which was a landmark federal achievement of the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement. Unfortunately, the march gained the nickname “Bloody Sunday” as a result of marchers being attacked.
Common, known for his socially conscious lyrical flow, gave a poignant acceptance speech at the Golden Globes. “As I got to know the people of the Civil Rights Movement I realized I am the hopeful black woman who was denied her right to vote,” the rapper stated. “I am the caring white supporter killed on the front lines of freedom. I am the unarmed black kid who maybe needed a hand, but instead was given a bullet. I am the two fallen police officers murdered in the line of duty. ‘Selma’ has awakened my humanity.”
If you can’t make it to the theater to see ‘Selma,’ take a moment to watch this video and let the lyrics and images inspire you.
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