In 1939, singer Roberta Flack was born in Asheville, N.C. She had a half-dozen ballad hits in the 1970s, including three No. 1 -- ``The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,'' ``Killing Me Softly With His ...

the project features 12 poems performed by legendary Black women artists and cultural icons such as Roberta Flack, Valerie Simpson, U.S. Representative Maxine Waters and Dr. Angela Y. Davis.