Nina Simone was one of the great voices of jazz in the United States and around the world, and she still inspires today. So much so that a group of artists, supported by celebrities, hopes to save the childhood home of the diva to make it a museum and a center in her memory. An auction to raise the necessary funds ends this Monday, May 22.
A modest, wooden house in one of the black neighborhoods of Tyron, North Carolina. It’s there that Nina Simone took his first steps and played his first piano notes. Six years ago, a group of artists bought the house to save it from demolition. Today, they want to make it a cultural site in memory of the great diva. A project supported by none other than tennis player Venus Williams:
” It all started in Nina Simone’s childhood home. Its roots are there. It is important to preserve your house if you want to preserve its history. »
Preserve artistic, but also political history. Nina Simone was very involved in the civil rights movement. ” We do not preserve enough the stories of African Americans who mark history. This project is therefore crucial for the legacy of Nina Simone, but also for what we can accomplish in the future. “, continues Venus Williams.
Auctions were held with the goal of raising $2 million. Eventually, Nina Simone’s house should be converted into a museum and artists’ residence. Enough to give a second life to the places that saw the birth of one of the undisputed queens of jazz.
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