Final answer:
Artists like Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin used music to promote social change in the Civil Rights Movement, where freedom songs and prophetic speeches by leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. played significant roles in mobilizing communities against racial injustice.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the Civil Rights Movement, influential artists like Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, and Sam Cooke utilized their music to promote social change and challenge structural inequity. Their songs often sprang from the rich tradition of the Black church and were imbued with messages of hope, resistance, and a vision for a society of equal opportunity for all, regardless of skin color. Prophetic rhetoric in speeches by leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., alongside the widespread use of freedom songs during protests and marches, amplified the message of the movement on a national and international level. Activists incorporated these songs into community mobilization efforts, which played a crucial part in overcoming systemic racism. Freedom songs often transitioned from sacred hymns sung in churches to powerful anthems vocalized in the streets, symbolizing both spiritual resolve and a call to action for social justice.