På 1950-tallet arbeidet Holman sammen med sin akompagnatør Gerold Cook med å forske i og omarrangere det de kalte what "earth music". Det var primært blues og negro spirituals som kunne lenkes til det Afroamerikanske samfunn. Holman hadde alltid vært involvert i det som senere ble kjent som borgerrettighets bevegelsen. Under Andre verdenskrig forsøkte hun, sammen ned sin venn, Josh White å arrangere opptredener for soldater i felten, men deres tilbud ble avslått med begrunnelse: "we don’t book mixed company.": "Libby and Josh were beyond brave, although perhaps she did not quite realize what she was taking on in 1940s America. When they started rehearsals for their first show in a New York club, she arrived at the front door and was welcomed. Josh was directed to the staff entrance round the back. Libby waited till the day they were due to open, after the owners had spent a vast amount on publicity, and told them she was not going to sing in their club until they changed their racial door policy. She won.