The song that fueled protests and a legacy of hope

Summary

Throughline: "The Song That Fueled Protests and a Legacy of Hope"

NPR’s Throughline, Hosted by Rund Abdelfattah – August 4, 2026

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Episode Overview

This special episode of Throughline explores the history, transformation, and enduring legacy of the protest anthem "We Shall Overcome." Through archival audio, interviews, and narration, the show traces how the song originated as a spiritual and work tune among slaves, morphed through labor strikes and the civil rights movement, and became a global symbol of hope in the face of injustice. The episode showcases the song’s power to unify, encourage, and inspire across generations and movements both in the US and abroad.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins of “We Shall Overcome”

(03:03 – 04:32)

• The song began as a folk spiritual sung by enslaved people: “I'll be all right someday.”
• Methodist minister Charles Albert Tindley published a version in 1901: "I'll Overcome Someday."
• First major political usage: 1945 tobacco workers’ strike in Charleston, SC, where workers adapted the lyrics to “We will overcome.”

Notable Quote:
“It is not a marching song. It is not necessarily defiant. It is a promise.”
— Noah Adams [03:03]

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2. The Song’s Early Transformations

(04:32 – 07:06)

• In churches, the song had a faster, gospel flavor.
• On the picket line, the song offered encouragement and collective strength; as strikers recall, singing "we will overcome" made them “fight that much harder.”
• Tobacco workers brought the song to Highlander Folk Center in Tennessee, where Zilphia Horton began to teach and popularize it in multi-ethnic labor workshops.

Memorable Moment:
“When I first started singing it, I thought it was kind of silly, but as the strike went along, it gave me a whole lot of encouragement and believing that we would overcome.”
— Bernice Johnson Reagon [05:09]

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3. Pete Seeger’s Role in Spreading the Song

(07:06 – 08:07)

• Zilphia Horton introduced the song to Pete Seeger, who added rhythm and published it in “People’s Songs” magazine.
• Debate over lyrics: original “I” vs. adapted “We.” Seeger influenced this change, as did educator Septima Clark.

Notable Quote:
“She had a beautiful alto voice and sang it with no rhythm... I gave it kind of oomp, chinga oomp, chinga... I'm usually credited with changing it to ‘shall’...”
— Pete Seeger [07:06]

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4. Civil Rights Movement & The Song’s Rise

(08:27 – 14:37)

• Guy Carawan learned the song in California, brought it to Highlander, and popularized it among student activists.
• 1960: At a pivotal Highlander workshop for student sit-in organizers, “We Shall Overcome” resonated instantly as an anthem for the movement.

Notable Quote:
“I can remember this electrifying feeling when we heard it, that song just said exactly what we were doing and what we were feeling.”
— Candy Carawan [10:01]

• At Shaw University in 1960, students adapted the song: “lay that guitar down, boy. We can do this song better.” The acapella, harmony-rich version spread rapidly.
• The Freedom Singers of Albany, GA, became key in transmitting the song.

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5. From ‘I Will Overcome’ to ‘We Shall Overcome’

(12:17 – 14:37)

• Bernice Johnson Reagon discusses the difference in collective expression: In Black traditions, "I" means commitment; "we" was seen as less certain.
• The shift to "we" reflected interracial collaboration and mutual support in the movement.

Notable Quote:
“In the black community... if you want to express the group, you have to say 'I.'...There are many black traditional collective expression songs where it’s 'I,' because in order for you to get a group, you have to have I’s.”
— Bernice Johnson Reagon [12:42]

“What that statement does for me is document the presence of black and white people in this country fighting against injustice...”
— Bernice Johnson Reagon [13:30]

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6. "We Shall Overcome" in Political and Public Life

(14:37 – 16:47)

• The song was sung during protests, in jails, and at rallies near the Capitol.
• President Lyndon B. Johnson quoted "we shall overcome" in a 1965 address to Congress, signaling political recognition of the Civil Rights Movement’s cause.

Memorable Moment:
“…because it’s not just Negroes, but really it’s all of us who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome.”
— President Lyndon B. Johnson [15:27]

• John Lewis, watching with Dr. King, saw the phrase as both poetic and deeply moving for its stature and commitment.

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7. The Song as Sustenance and Symbol

(16:47 – 19:00)

• John Lewis recalls singing “We Shall Overcome” after being beaten and jailed:

“It gave you a sense of faith, a sense of strength to continue to struggle, to continue to push on, and you will lose your sense of fear.” [16:47]

• The song became a staple in Dr. King’s speeches and sermons, representing enduring hope against adversity.

Notable Excerpt:
“…so however dark it is, however deep the angry feelings are... I can still sing ‘we shall overcome.’ We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
— Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. [18:01]

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8. Conclusion & Lasting Legacy

(19:00 – 20:06)

• Final excerpt: Dr. King’s sermon at the National Cathedral, just days before his assassination, tying “We Shall Overcome” to the very heart of nonviolent struggle.
• A 1999 arrangement of the song by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is featured as a culmination.

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Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• “It is not a marching song... it is a promise.” — Noah Adams [03:03]
• “We did overcome. We won it.” — Civil Rights Participant [05:19]
• “She had a beautiful alto voice and sang it with no rhythm... I gave it rhythm.” — Pete Seeger [07:06]
• “That song just said exactly what we were doing and what we were feeling.” — Candy Carawan [10:01]
• “What that statement does for me is document the presence of Black and white people... accepting that support and that help.” — Bernice Johnson Reagon [13:30]
• “And we shall overcome.” — Lyndon B. Johnson [15:27]
• “It gave you a sense of faith, a sense of strength to continue to struggle... You will prepare to march into hell’s fire.” — John Lewis [16:47]
• “We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. [18:01]

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Notable Moments & Their Importance

• Labor Strike Reunion Reminiscences
  Former tobacco strikers describe the evolution of the song and its impact on their spirit and determination. [04:32-05:21]
• Spread via Highlander Folk Center
  Zilphia Horton’s key role in widening the song’s influence, bringing it to Pete Seeger and workshops across the US. [06:10-07:06]
• Pete Seeger’s Influence
  Seeger’s rhythm adaptation and national dissemination of the song. [07:06-08:15]
• Civil Rights Sit-Ins and the “A Cappella” Transformation
  Students make the song their own, imbuing it with harmonies reflecting the movement’s growing unity and power. [10:40]
• Presidential Use During the Civil Rights Era
  Landmark moment when LBJ uses “we shall overcome” before Congress, signaling a seismic cultural and political resonance. [15:27]

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Final Reflection

"We Shall Overcome" has echoed across battle lines, barricades, and borders—from labor strikes to church pews, and from protest marches to the halls of power. It is a testament to the enduring power of collective hope, bearing witness that song can transform history and bring light into “the dark chambers of despair.” This episode weaves together firsthand voices, music, and historical context to show how one simple tune became an everlasting anthem for justice and unity.

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For more history and future listener-driven topics, tune in to Throughline every Tuesday this fall.

Transcript

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[Randa Abdel-Fattah]

This is America in Pursuit, a limited run series from NPR and Throughline. I'm Randa Der Fattah. Each week we bring you stories about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in the US that that began 250 years ago. If you listened really closely, you might have noticed, as we did, that there's a song that keeps creeping up in the background of many of our recent stories in this series. It's a song that has fueled war protests, political protests, and the fight for civil rights.

[Civil Rights Activist / Narrator]

There's a little song that we sing in our movement down in the South. I don't know if you've heard it.

[Randa Abdel-Fattah]

On this episode, we go deep into the NPR archives to share one of our favorite radio broadcasts, the story of how this song, We Shall Overcome was passed down from farm workers to churchgoers to student protesters. How its lyrics were transformed, and how it's left a legacy of hope for so many, not only in the US but around the globe. NPR's Noah Adams reported the story back in 1999 to mark the 70th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's birth. That's coming up after a quick break.

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[Civil Rights Movement Participant]

it

[Narrator / Historian (Noah Adams)]

is not a marching song. It is not necessarily defiant. It is a promise. We shall overcome someday Deep in my heart I do believe. We shall overcome has been heard in north korea, in beirut, in tiananmen square, in south africa's soweto township. It has been a civil rights song for years now, but it began as a folk song, a work song. Slaves in the fields would sing I'll be all right someday. It became known in the churches. A Methodist minister, Charles Albert Tinley, published a version in 1901. I'll overcome someday the first political use came in 1945 in Charleston, South Carolina. There was a strike against the American Tobacco Company. The workers wanted a raise. They were making 45 cents an hour. They marched and sang together on the picket line. We will overcome and we will win our rights someday Four decades later, some of the strikers got together for a reunion from a 1989 PBS documentary. These are the memories of Delphine Brown, Annalee Bonneau and Karene Chisholm.

[Civil Rights Movement Participant / Singer]

When I first heard the song in my church, they sang it in the gospel fast, and people shouted, we will see the Lord we will see the Lord we will see the Lord someday Deep in my heart I do believe we will overcome someday and that's the way we used to sing it and the church in church.

[Civil Rights Activist / Narrator]

But not, not.

[Guy Carawan]

Not when you.

[Civil Rights Movement Participant / Singer]

No, not when we was on the picket line. Picket line. When we first started singing it, I thought it was kind of silly, but

[Bernice Johnson Reagon]

as the strike went along, it gave me a whole lot of encouragement and believing that we would overcome.

[Civil Rights Movement Participant / Singer]

And it made me fight that much harder.

[Bernice Johnson Reagon]

And we did overcome.

[Civil Rights Movement Participant / Singer]

We won it.

[Narrator / Historian (Noah Adams)]

The tobacco workers strike, 1945 in 1947, two of the union members from South Carolina traveled to Tennessee and the town of Monteagle. They came for a workshop, and at the Highlander Folk Center. Blacks and whites had been meeting together about labor issues at Highlander for many years. Highlander had started with a focus on labor unions. The civil rights struggle came later. It was believed at Highlander that the people who have the problems are the ones who have the answers. It was important to talk together and especially to sing. The tobacco workers brought their song to Tennessee, and Zilphia Horton, Highlander's music director, started using it in workshops in Tennessee and beyond. On this tape from the late 1940s, she's with a group of farm workers

[Civil Rights Movement Participant / Singer]

in Montana this is a song of we will overcome. It's a spiritual. I sang it with many different nationality groups, and it's so simple, the idea is so sincere, that it doesn't matter. That comes from the tobacco workers. When I sing it for people, it becomes their song. We will overcome we will overcome

[Guy Carawan]

we

[Civil Rights Movement Participant / Singer]

will overcome the summer day all down in my heart I do believe

[Narrator / Historian (Noah Adams)]

in 1947, Zofia Horton went to New York City, as she did every year, to raise money for Highlander. She sang the song there for Pete Seeger.

[Pete Seeger]

She had a beautiful alto voice and sang it with no rhythm. We shall overcome down south, they call this long meter style of singing hymns. And I gave it kind of oomp, chinga oomp, chinga oomp, chinga oomp, chinga oomp chinga oom. It was medium slow as I sang it, but the banjo kept a steady rhythm going. I remember teaching it to a gang in Carnegie hall that year. And the following year, I put it in a little music magazine called People's Songs. Over the years, I remember singing it two different ways. I'm usually credited with changing it to shall, but there was a black woman who taught at Highlander Center, a wonderful person named Septima Clark. And she always liked shall, too. I'm told. For those who don't know it, now's a good time to learn it.

[Narrator / Historian (Noah Adams)]

It's not hard.

[Pete Seeger]

Only one line changes in each verse. The next verse says, we'll walk hand in hand.

[Civil Rights Movement Participant / Singer]

We walk hand in.

[Guy Carawan]

Sing it again.

[Narrator / Historian (Noah Adams)]

In Southern California in the early 1950s, the song reached Guy Karawan. He was finishing graduate work in sociology at UCLA and doing some singing himself. He also learned about the Highlander center in Tennessee, and that's where he ended up. Candy Karawan and her husband have been teaching together at Highlander for many years now. They met as the center's focus was shifting to civil rights. And We Shall Overcome was about to become an inspiring force.

[Guy Carawan]

Let's see. I first heard this song from a friend of mine, Frank Hamilton. Frank was my singing partner in Southern California, and he taught me this song. And he also had put some chords to it. He sang the guitar with it, so. So he had a guitar with harmony like we shall overcome

[Civil Rights Movement Participant / Singer]

someday oh, deep

[Guy Carawan]

in my heart

[Civil Rights Movement Participant / Singer]

I do believe

[Guy Carawan]

yes, that we shall overcome someday and when I came to Highlander 1959, Zulphie Horton had died. And I had some singing and musical skills, and they needed somebody there. So by the time I came to Highlander, I was playing it with the guitar like that.

[Narrator / Historian (Noah Adams)]

Candy do you recall the first time you heard the song?

[Candy Carawan]

I had come south myself from California to Nashville, and it was the spring of 1960 when the sit ins took place in Nashville. I'd gotten very involved in the sit ins and came up to a Highlander weekend for students from about half a dozen cities who'd been carrying on the sit in movement. And Guy was there trying to find out what songs we were using as part of our demonstrations. And mostly we didn't have a lot of songs. And he taught us a number of songs that weekend. And one of them was We Shall Overcome. And I can remember this electrifying feeling when we heard it, that that song just said exactly what we were doing and what we were feeling.

[Guy Carawan]

But two weeks later, at Shaw University, 200 student leaders from around the south had come together to have their own youth gathering. Because two weeks later, sclc, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, would be having their gathering. But the students said, no, we're going to have our own gathering and figure out our version of this. But that song caught on that weekend. And then at a certain point, those young singers who knew a lot of acapella styles, they said, lay that guitar down, boy. We can do this song better. And they put that sort of triplet to it and sang it a cappella with all those harmonies. It had a way of rendering it, a style that some very powerful young singers got behind and spread.

[Civil Rights Movement Participant / Singer]

We shall overcome we shall overcome we shall overcome Someday.

[Narrator / Historian (Noah Adams)]

The Freedom Singers. The group was organized in Albany, Georgia, by the student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. The singers were Cordell Regan, Charles Nebit, Rutha Harris, and Bernice Johnson, who was a preacher's daughter and knew the song as I Will Overcome. She recalls the change to We Shall Overcome as a concession that helped bring whites and blacks closer in the civil rights struggle.

[Bernice Johnson Reagon]

The left, dominated by whites, believe that in order to express the group, you should say we. In the black community, if you want to express the group, you have to say I. Because if you say we, I have no idea who's going to be there. Have you ever been in meeting people say, we're going to bring some food tomorrow to feed the people. And you sit there on the bench and say, hmm, I have no idea. It is when I say, I'm going to bring cake, and somebody else said, I'll bring chicken, that you actually know you're going to get a dinner. So there are many black traditional collective expression songs where it's I, because in order for you to get a group, you have to have I'S so you gotta.

[Narrator / Historian (Noah Adams)]

You have to have people willing to

[Bernice Johnson Reagon]

stand up and name themselves. However, I remember when the organizers came to Albany and I was singing I'll Overcome and I was stopped by Cordell who says, it's not I'll, it's we. And he had gotten this lesson from Highlander and from Guy. And I looked at him and, you know, we've been singing this song all of our lives. And here's this guy who just learned the song and he's telling us how to sing it. And you know what I said to myself? If you need it, you got it. What that statement does for me is document the presence of black and white people in this country fighting against injustice. And you have black people accepting that need because they were also accepting that support and that help.

[Narrator / Historian (Noah Adams)]

The song was carried by the civil rights movement throughout the South. A song that rose in air that was tinged with tear gas, that was a murmur of men and women at night in a Southern jail, and an affirmation sung by hundreds of thousands within sight of the Capitol dome. On March 15, 1965, President Lyndon Baines Johnson used the phrase we shall overcome in his voting rights speech. He appeared before Congress and 70 million Americans watching on television. He called for legislation that would assure every citizen the right to vote.

[Civil Rights Movement Participant / Singer]

It is the effort of American Negroes to secure for themselves the full blessings of American life. Their cause must be our cause too, because it's not just Negroes, but really it's all of us who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome.

[Narrator / Historian (Noah Adams)]

There may have been some in the civil rights movement who felt that President Johnson co opted the phrase. But John Lewis watched the speech that night with Martin Luther King about the President. Lewis writes, his were the words of a statesman and more, they were the words of a poet. And Lewis adds, Dr. King must have agreed. He wiped away a tear at the point where Johnson said the words and we shall overcome. In his book Walking with the Wind, he tells of joining the movement as a teenager off the farm in Alabama. He became a leader. He was jailed, he was beaten, his skull was fractured in Selma on the day that was called Bloody Sunday. And he says, we shall overcome sustained him throughout the years of struggle.

[Civil Rights Movement Participant]

It is one of the most powerful, at the same time, sacred moment when we were saying we shall overcome, and especially if you have been beaten, arrested in jail and thrown into a paddy wagon, thrown into some waiting area and a group just stand there and saying, together, we shall overcome. It gave you a sense of faith, a sense of strength to continue to struggle, to continue to push on, and you will lose your sense of fear. You will prepare to march into hell's fire.

[Civil Rights Activist / Narrator]

None shall be afraid. I still believe that we shall overcome.

[Narrator / Historian (Noah Adams)]

The power and the promise of the song turned up in many of Dr. King's speeches and sermons.

[Civil Rights Activist / Narrator]

We shall overcome because the Bible is right. You shall reap what you sow.

[Civil Rights Movement Participant / Singer]

We shall overcome.

[Civil Rights Activist / Narrator]

Deep in my heart I do believe we shall overcome. And with this faith we will go out and adjourn the councils of despair and bring new light into the dark chambers of despair, pessimism. And we will be able to rise from the fatigue of despair to the buoyancy of hope. And this will be a great America. We will be the. So however dark it is, however deep the angry feelings are in the violent extreme, explosions are I can still sing we shall overcome. We shall overcome because the ark of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.

[Randa Abdel-Fattah]

That final Excerpt was from March 31, 1968. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Giving a sermon at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Dr. King was assassinated four days later. We're listening to an excerpt of an arrangement of the song that was commissioned by NPR in the Atlanta Symphony orchestra back in 1999.

[Civil Rights Movement Participant / Singer]

Ham.

[Randa Abdel-Fattah]

And that's it, the final episode of our America in Pursuit series. But don't go anywhere on Tuesdays, because starting in September, every Tuesday we'll be rolling out answers to questions you, the listeners, have sent us. So stay tuned. That's coming soon. I'm Rund Abdelfattah. This episode was produced by Nick M. Nevis and Kiana Moghadam and edited by Julia Redpath with support from the Throughline production team. Music by Ramtin Adablouei and his band Drop Electric. Special thanks to Noah Adams, Irene Noguchi, Yolanda Sangweni, Liana Simstrom, Johannes Durgi, Mary Glendenning and Lindsay McKenna. Thanks for listening.

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