Nina Simone used music to challenge, provoke, incite, and inform the masses during the period we know as the Civil Rights Era. In the songs “Four Women,” “Young Gifted and Black,” and Mississippi God Damn,” Nina Simone musically maps a personal “intersectionality” as it relates to being a Black American artist. Kimberly Crenshaw defines “intersectionality” as the inability of black women to separate race, class, and gender. Nina Simone's music directly addresses this paradigm. Although she is celebrated as a prolific artist, her political and social activism remains discreet despite her presence on the front lines of the movement. According to Ruth Feldstein, “Nina Simone refounded black activism in the 1960s.” Feldstein goes on to say that "Simone was known for supporting the struggle for black freedom in the United States much earlier and in a more outspoken way around the world than many other African-American artists." » Her family ties to the South, her unique talent, her ability to travel and earn money are similar to the women's Blues movement that preceded her. It can be said that Nina Simone goes further by directly tackling racial and gender inequalities in her music. However, what sets her apart is her unique musicality and this is what ultimately gives her massive exposure and experiences compared to those of her past contemporaries. Like the Women of the Blues, Simone expands ideas regarding self-expression, identity, and beauty as they relate to black women. She does this by embracing what is definitively African American and connecting it to historical context. In doing so, she embodies a political statement. Her journey that started as a lot of entertainment...... middle of paper ......utobiography By Nina Simone, Da Capo Press; 2003. Additional sources consulted: Brooks, Daphne A. . “Nina Simone’s Triple Game.” Callaloo. 35.4 (2011): 176-194. Internet. February 11, 2013. .Lewis, Andrea. “Nina Simone remains a powerful source of inspiration for black women.” Progressive. (2003): n. page. Internet. February 11, 2013. Simone, Nina, perf. Damn Mississippi. 1964. Song.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVQjGGJVSXcSimone, Nina, perf. Being young, talented and black. 1970. Song.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3OIfuVpocUSimone, Nina, perf. Four Women, 1966. Song.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf9Bj1CXPH8Tsuruta, Dorothy Randall. "'I'm not about to be non-violent, honey.'" Black Scholar 29.2/3 (1999): 54. MasterFILE Premier. Internet. February 11. 2013.