Nina Simone Study

In 1993 I was waiting in the check-in line at Tunis airport when a large woman in a colorful dress and jewelry approached my mother, dressed similarly.

She spoke to us at length, complimented my mother's colors and made a joke about my name, all with a great smile and powerful voice that left us touched, feeling good.

Only years later, when we saw on television that she had died, did we realize she was Nina Simone. Her music has been a part of my life ever since.