Born on this day in New Orleans, Louisiana, gospel legend Mahalia Jackson (1911–1972) grew up in a poor family and began singing in her father’s Baptist church choir. As a teenager she moved to Chicago, carrying with her a voice full of spirit and a heart full of hope.

Called “the true queen of spiritual singers” by Little Richard, Jackson could touch listeners with the depth of her feelings. She once said, “Rock and roll was stolen out of the sanctified church!”

Deeply religious, Jackson signed her first recording contract in 1935 and soon became Thomas Dorsey’s vocalist and chief collaborator. With her passionate contralto, she recorded beloved spirituals such as There Will Be Peace in the Valley and He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.

A steadfast voice for justice, Jackson played a prominent role in the Civil Rights movement. In 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, she sang “I Been ‘Buked and I Been Scorned” just before Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, helping set a nation’s heart to the rhythm of freedom.

“Someday the sun is going to shine down on me in some faraway place,” she said. Through faith and song, she showed how an independent light can lift the world.