Jennifer Hudson delivered an emotional release of “A Change Is Gonna Come” on the third night of the Democratic National Conference.
The singer and actor performed Sam Cooke’s 1964 national anthem against the backdrop of the empty Harold Washington Cultural Center in her hometown of Chicago.
Hudson, who will play Aretha Franklin in upcoming musical biopic Respect, paid homage to the soul legend as she performed the arrangement of the song made famous by Franklin.
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She was accompanied on piano by Fred Nelson, the conductor of Franklin, and Richard Gibbs, her pianist for many years.
Hudson’s performance precludes the third day of the conference, and was preceded by a historic speech by Kamala Harris when she was the first black woman to be nominated for the vice presidency by a large party.
Hudson delivered an emotional performance of ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’ (Democratic National Convention)
“A Change Is Gonna Come” has a long history with the Democratic Party, with former President Barack Obama quoting the texts in his victory speech during the 2008 general election.
The song, which was inspired by Cooke’s experience of removing only white spaces in Louisiana, was also performed at the Obama inauguration by Bettye LaVette and Jon Bon Jovi.
It contains the refrain: “It’s been a long time coming, but I know there’s going to be a change.”
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