Roberta Flack, Rep. Maxine Waters, Dawn Richard and More Feature on Album Paying Tribute to Women of Color

Roberta Flack, Dawn Richard, Rep. Maxine Waters, former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, creator Danyel Smith and more feature on a brand new album celebrating women of color, released Tuesday by Atlantic Records.

According to On Imagination, the film also stars Valerie Simpson and Valerie June Diversity. Selected speakers read poetry by June Jordan, Gwendolyn Bennett, Phillis Wheatley, Georgia Douglas Johnson and others. The project was produced by singer-songwriter Ebonie Smith.

The album, first released in honor of Juneteenth, Variety reports, features a special track featuring Jordan’s 1982 poem “Moving Towards Home,” read by activist and author Dr. Angela Davis.

“The poems on this album are restorative,” says Ebonie Smith. “They helped me heal and regain my balance after Covid. The language is demanding, requiring the listener to work at a deeper level of understanding, but those who make the effort will find these poets’ words truly powerful and transformative.”

She went on to talk in regards to the impact the poems had on her following the 2022 murder of rapper Takeoff, a founding member of the group Migos. “After Takeoff’s death, I turned to these poems to help me heal and understand the deaths that were happening in and around hip-hop culture. The language on this album helped me find strength during that time.”

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Check out the tracklist according to Variety:

1. “Dare to Dream” (2022) – written by Genesis Briggs and performed by Genesis Be

2. “She Came Home Blameless” (1971) – written by Maya Angelou, performed by Roberta Flack and Valerie Simpson

3. “Calling Dreams” (1920) – written by Georgia Douglas Johnson and performed by Flyana Boss

4. “Songs For The People” (1895) – written by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper and performed by Lori Lightfoot

5. “Of Imagination” (1773) – written by Phillis Wheatley and performed by Danyel Smith

6. “Make My Name” (2023) – written by adrienne maree brown and performed by maxine waters

7. “Douce Souvenance” (1920) – written by Jessie Redmon Fauset and performed by Ebonie Smith

8. “Double Standard” (1895) – written by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper and performed by Divinity Roxx

9. “Fantasy” (1927) – written by Gwendolyn Benne and performed by Dawn Richard

10. “Moving Toward Home” (1982) – written by June Jordan and performed by Dr. Angela Y. Davis

11. “On the Death of a Gentlemen” (1773) – written by Phillis Wheatley and performed by Tarriona “Tank” Ball

12. “I Sit and Sew” (1918) – written by Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson and performed by Valerie June