Five African-American celebrities who risked their careers by joining the civil rights struggle

Nina Simone

Perhaps, the most controversial African-American performer of her time, Nina Simone did not shy away from voicing her opinions on how people who looked like her were treated.

Fearing backlash from her fans, Simone would often say she was afraid of being misunderstood.

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One time when she put out a record, Mississippi Goddam, decrying the massacre of black people, radio stations in the south refused to play it.