Freedom''s Gate : Maya Angelou, Lorraine Hansberry, Abbey Lincoln, Miriam Makeba, and Nina Simone and the nightclub that shaped the civil rights movement

A fascinating group biography, from an award-winning author, of five Black women artists in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including Virago's own Maya Angelou, and how their friendships shaped their politics and art

An illuminating portrait of five Black woman artists, including Maya Angelou and Nina Simone, and the New York nightclub that helped inspire the civil rights movementBefore they became household names, Maya Angelou, Lorraine Hansberry, Abbey Lincoln, Miriam Makeba, and Nina Simone needed a place to practice and perform. That place was the Village Gate, a New York City nightclub that became a downtown hotspot for Black art, culture, music, and politics. Freedom's Gate depicts the deepening political convictions and groundbreaking artistry of women of the Gate as they developed as entertainers, activists, and intellectuals in the spotlight of art and revolution. From Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun to Nina Simone's "Mississippi Goddam" and Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach's We Insist! Freedom Now Suite, Soyica Diggs Colbert brings to life the culture and performances that were the soundtrack to Black freedom struggles in the 1950s and early 1960s. With supporting roles from stars and activists such as Harry Belafonte, Stokely Carmichael, and Sidney Poitier, Freedom's Gate is a vibrant history of a little-known chapter of the civil rights movement that gave voice and soul to the call for liberation.