Join us to dive deeper into the lives of Nina Simone and Langston Hughes, and learn more about the birth of Black Power
On March 24, 1965, Nina Simone performed at a rally for twenty-five thousand people on the last night of the Selma to Montgomery civil rights march. Though luminaries like Martin Luther King Jr., Mahalia Jackson, and Dick Gregory were in attendance, it was Langston Hughes, celebrated poet and leader of the Harlem Renaissance, who was the singer’s closest confidant and supporter. They had one of the most important—yet unheralded—friendships of the Black Power era.
Simone's performance on that Montgomery night catapulted her into a lead role in the civil rights movement, with Hughes as her guide. In Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, W. Jason Miller offers a riveting history of how their relationship helped spark the birth of Black Power—indeed, the phrase itself, made famous by Stokely Carmichael, was a quote from collaborative lyrics by the two. Hughes gave Simone the fuel to be one of the most politically charged artists of the era, while Simone offered Hughes a way to carry his influence into pop music and shape a national movement. Drawing on new firsthand accounts, Miller takes readers inside one of the most powerful friendships in music and civil rights history.
W. Jason Miller is joining us on the Busboys stage to celebrate the release of this book and “help us better understand both of these vital American artists” (Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of King: A Life). Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and Miller will be signing following the program.
This event is free and open to all. Doors open to guests at 5:30pm. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of DON’T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is in person.
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W. Jason Miller is a Distinguished Professor of English at North Carolina State University. He is the author of several books on Hughes, including Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood: Nina Simone, Langston Hughes, and the Birth of Black Power (UNC Press 2026). He has been featured on CNN, the BBC, NPR, and The Rachel Maddow Show.
BOOK DETAILS
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Nina Simone, Langston Hughes, and the Birth of Black Power
By W. Jason Miller
September 29, 2026 | Hardcover, 248 pages, $30
