D E F I N I N G
F R E E D O M
04
W
e began a conversation with
Ed Magee M.B.A. ’04
on another topic, and we ended up deep in discussion about racism, anti-racism, and the enormous complexity of our moment. So when the topic of freedom came up, we naturally reached out to him,
and he leapt at the chance to share his thoughts. “I’d kick off the conversation with the Nina Simone quote that the meaning of freedom is simply ‘no fear,’ ” he said in an email. Simone’s famous quote comes from a filmed interview in which the High Priestess of Soul responds to the question, “What does ‘freedom’ mean to you?” “It’s just a feeling,” she says, and then upon further reflection, “I’ll tell you what freedom is to me: no fear.” In her response, she rhapsodizes about the freedom of being a child and the freedom she feels when performing and finally concludes that freedom is “a new way of seeing.” Magee works as head of operations at Fender Musical Instruments Corp. and is co-president of the Fender Play Foundation, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit focused on increasing children’s access to musical instruments, instruction, and inspiration. He’s also the executive sponsor of Fender’s Black Employee Resource Group, called Black in Business. Fender created the ERG following the murder of George Floyd and the nationwide response to socialjustice issues.
PRIESTESS: Singer/activist Nina Simone
14 www.alumni.duke.edu/magazine
Jack Robinson/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
