LaRhonda Steele & Karen Haberman Trusty

Spirit Of Freedom
Self Release

Review by Greg Johnson

This is a stunning work documenting the Civil Rights movement from first-hand recollection in spoken word by Karen Haberman Trusty alternating with song presentation by the incredible LaRhonda Steele. Though her stories may have taken place in the South, segregation is clearly the focus being addressed as well as her involvement with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

LaRhonda presents well-known songs from the movement period, mostly based in gospel and blues. Accompanied on piano by her husband Mark Steele,  she performs pieces such as “Everybody Wants Freedom,” “Keep Your Eyes On The Prize,” “This Little Light Of Mine,” and Nina Simone’s powerful “Mississippi God Damn.” She also directs attention at the City of Portland, noting we need this change to occur here as well.

The historical significance between the occurrences from the 1960s related in the storytelling bares importance with today’s Black Lives Matter as Haberman Trusty informs us that bringing about equality amongst races still has a long path ahead, even fifty years later. Addressing this issue is still important and Spirit Of Freedom is something that should be listened, and played in our schools.

Total Time: 45:12

Everybody Wants Freedom / The Rally / Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round / Segregation / Guide My Feet / White Supremacy Then And Now / Over My Head I Hear Freedom In The Air / SNCC / Keep Your Eyes On The Prize / Jail Song / I Woke Up This Morning / Never Turn Back / Freedom Summer / Mississippi God Damn / Murders In Mississippi / In The Mississippi River / Call To Action / This Little Light Of Mine