Mavis Staples, one of the most eloquent voices of the civil-rights movement, performs on Tuesday at the Michigan Theater. As part of The Staple Singers, she and the group helped provide the soundtrack for the country's social upheaval of the late ’60s and early ’70s.

Staples — who, with the rest of The Staple Singers, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 — will be joined on stage by her sister Yvonne and will be backed by a three-piece band. Her appearance, a benefit for Avalon Housing, Inc., follows a busy few years during which she's released two CDs, wowed the crowd at the Newport Folk Festival this past summer and booked a 2010 gig at Kennedy Center.

Paula Baldoni, director of communications for Avalon Housing, said the group usually brings in a speaker for its annual fundraiser, but this year decided to try something new.

“We didn’t go looking for a performer - she just happened to be available at the right time,” Baldoni said. “We’re not in the business of producing concerts but we felt that Mavis has a real uplifting message, she’s very inspirational, her message fits with our message.

“We thought that in these pretty depressing times we needed someone like her,” she added.

Singing out against injustice is just as important today as it was 40 years ago, Staples wrote in the liner notes to her 2007 album “We’ll Never Turn Back.”:

“For us, and for many in the civil rights movement, we looked to the church for inner strength and to help make positive changes. And that seems to be missing today. … Well, I tell you — we need a change now more than ever, and I’m turning to the church again for strength. … We’ve got to keep pushing to make the world a better place. Things are better but we’re not where we need to be ...”

Mavis Staples sings "We Shall Not Be Moved" on "Live: Hope At The Hideout," released last year.

Led by Roebuck “Pops” Staples on guitar, The Staple Singers, who got their start in 1950, also included Mavis and her siblings Cleo, Yvonne and Pervis. By the mid-1960s, they had become leading spiritual and musical voices of the times, and are believed to be the first African-American artists to record a Bob Dylan song (“A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall”).

Staples recalled how the group’s involvement with the civil-rights movement began:

“Pops saw Dr. Martin Luther King speak in 1963 and from there we started to broaden our musical vision beyond just gospel songs,” she wrote. “Pops told us, ‘I like this man. I like his message. And if he can preach it, we can sing it.’ So we started to perform freedom songs, like ‘Why Am I Treated So Bad,’ ‘When Will We Be Paid for the Work We’ve Done,’ ‘Long Walk to DC,’ and many others. Like many in the civil rights movement, we drew on the spirituality and the strength from the church to help gain social justice and to try to achieve equal rights.”

The Staples signed to Stax Records in 1968. The group had eight Top 40 hits from 1971-1975, including two #1 singles, “I’ll Take You There” and “Let’s Do It Again.”

“We became a major voice for the civil rights movement and hopefully helped to make a difference in this country. It was a difficult and dangerous time … but we felt we needed to stand up and be heard.”

Staples’ performance in Ann Arbor kicks off a five-day series of fundraising events for Avalon Housing, Inc. Besides the concert, Avalon Housing’s annual awards dinner is Thursday at Zingerman’s Roadhouse, and a dance party Saturday night at the Elks Lodge, 220 W. Sunset, featuring DJs Chuck Sipperley and Tadd Mullinix ($3 minimum donation) will wrap up the week.

Avalon Housing is a non-profit group dedicated to developing and managing permanent, supportive rental housing for people with extremely low incomes in Washtenaw County. Rents are structured to be affordable to people with incomes at or below 30 percent of the

“(It’s) rental housing for people who make very little money,” Baldoni said, “about 30 percent less than the area median - people who make minimum wage or live on disability or Social Security, or who live with some kind of a disability or with various challenges that may interfere with their ability to maintain housing with out support."

Roger LeLievre is a free-lance writer who covers music for AnnArbor.com.

PREVIEW Mavis Staples Who: One of the signature voices of the civil rights movement performs with her sister Yvonne and a three-piece band. What: A benefit for Avalon Housing, Inc. Where: Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St. When: Tuesday at 7 p.m. How much: $25-$75. Info: Available online at Ticketmaster and at all Ticketmaster outlets including Macy’s and the Michigan Union Ticket Office. To charge by phone, call 800-745-3000. Related events: Community Awards Dinner, Thursday, 7 p.m., Zingerman’s Roadhouse (Tickets are $75, $95 and $145); Also, a Green Light Dance Party at the Elks Lodge, 220 W. Sunset Road, from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday ($3 minimum donation to Avalon at the door).