“Surpassed by No Other Civilization”: Nina Simone’s Call to Black Pride

“Surpassed by No Other Civilization”: Nina Simone’s Call to Black Pride

Nina Simone was more than a legendary singer and pianist. She was a fierce truth-teller, using her voice not only to captivate audiences but to challenge the world’s indifference to Black pain, culture, and brilliance. Among her most powerful and enduring quotes is this declaration:

“My people are very beautiful people. We have a culture that is surpassed by no other civilization, but we don’t know anything about it.”

These words reflect the core of Simone’s activism and artistry: a refusal to let the richness of Black heritage be ignored, denied, or forgotten.

In a world that often tried to reduce Black identity to struggle and stereotype, Simone reminded listeners of a legacy rooted in creativity, intellect, resilience, and unmatched cultural wealth.

She was speaking to centuries of African civilizations—empires like Mali, Songhai, and Nubia—whose contributions to art, science, education, and governance rivaled and often predated those of Europe.

Simone saw the beauty in that legacy and wanted Black people to not only reclaim it, but to walk in it with pride.

But her quote also highlights a painful reality: disconnection. Through slavery, colonialism, and systemic racism, generations of Black people have been cut off from their history.

Simone’s message wasn’t just admiration—it was a wake-up call. She urged the community to seek knowledge, teach the youth, and resist the forces that told them they came from nothing.

To Nina Simone, cultural pride wasn’t optional. It was necessary for survival. Her music—songs like “To Be Young, Gifted and Black” and “Mississippi Goddam”—was a soundtrack for revolution and healing.

As we reflect on her words today, they remain just as relevant.

In a time where Black identity is still contested, commodified, or misunderstood, Simone’s message demands we go deeper, look back, and celebrate the truth:

Black people are beautiful. Their culture is vast. Their history is rich. And they are, as she said, “surpassed by no other civilization.”