Why Prince’s Life Mattered

FEATURING LIZ DWYER – On Thursday April 21st, the world was shocked at the news of Prince’s death. The legendary musician influenced millions of people worldwide for decades. Rolling Stone Magazine named him one of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. During his career, he sold more than 100 million records, won more than half a dozen Grammy awards, as well as a Golden Globe award and an Oscar. In 2004, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

But Prince defied definition in so many ways. He bent the rules of gender with his wild theatrical performances, flamboyant costumes and makeup. He was also someone who viewed society through a lens of social justice. Just last year, in response to the police custody death of Freddie Gray in Maryland, Prince released a single simply called Baltimore.

Read Dwyer’s article HERE.

Liz Dwyer, culture and education editor at TakePart, formerly the education editor at Good and has written about race, parenting, and social justice for several national websites and print publications. She just published a piece in TakePart called Why Prince Is a Powerful Example of Artistic Activism.