Smooth Operations Series Marks the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act

CREATIVE

To mark the 50th Anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, BBC Radio 2 are re broadcasting Smooth Operations‘ 2004 series, Walking with the Wind. 

The original three part series, narrated by former Black Panther and music legend Nile Rodgers, looked at the struggle for African-American civil rights in the 1960s and beyond. Motown legend Martha Reeves will narrate a new fourth and final episode about the legacy of the civil rights movement in contemporary America. 

In the third episode, broadcast this week (Wednesday 2nd July at 22:00),  Nile explores the rise of soul power, black power and the Black Panthers, and the death of Martin Luther King.

You can listen again to Episode 2 here, which analyses landmark moments including the march on Washington to hear Martin Luther King outline his dream for black Americans, the signing of the Civil Rights Act by President Lyndon Johnson and the brutal suppression of black protest making international headlines.