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The Conversation
The Conversation
Austin McCoy, Assistant Professor of History, West Virginia University

Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas not only recorded an anthem for the civil rights era – they fought for fair pay and proudly called themselves divas

Motown's Martha and the Vandellas inspired future generations of girl groups in pop music, including En Vogue, SWV and Destiny's Child. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

The CBS television show “It’s What’s Happening Baby” aired a music video featuring Martha and the Vandellas performing their hit song “Nowhere to Run” to kick off its national broadcast dedicated to Detroit on June 28, 1965.

In the video, the Detroit-based trio sang about how they could not escape missing an ex-lover after a breakup while sitting in a white Mustang moving slowly down the assembly line in the Ford Motor Co.’s River Rouge plant.

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