Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia (2021)

Read more

Biopic of legendary gospel singer and civil rights pioneer, Mahalia Jackson. Raised in poverty in New Orleans, Mahalia Jackson overcame serious childhood illnesses through prayer and gospel music, which would later make her the most famous and influential black woman of the 1950s and 1960s--the Oprah of her time. A smart businesswoman as well as a powerful singer, Mahalia built up a fortune, though she lost much of it to the men she gave her heart to. Today, she is remembered for her role in supporting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., singing "We Shall Overcome" at civil rights rallies, using her wealth to support the cause and famously whispering to MLK Jr. "Tell them about the dream, Martin," before King delivered his most famous speech. In 1972, after yet another deception by a man she thought loved her, she died of heart failure, but her legacy continues to live on.