Bernice Johnson Reagon, US civil rights activist and singer, dies aged 81

Reagon used her stirring alto and lyrics to fight racism, and was a music scholar and professor emeritus of history

Bernice Johnson Reagon, an American civil rights activist who used her stirring alto and lyrics to fight racism, died on Tuesday at age 81, her daughter said on Wednesday.

As a scholar, singer, composer, organizer and activist, Dr Reagon spent over half a century speaking out against racism and systemic inequities in the US and globally," said daughter Toshi Reagon, who like her mother is a musician and activist, in announcing her death on Facebook.