I grew up in a house where music was a form of nonviolent protest. My mom had been at Peekskill in 1949, when violent mobs attacked the integrated audience who had gone to hear the Black virtuoso, Paul Robeson. My parents took us down to Washington, D.C., to protest the Vietnam War, where we listened to We Shall Overcome by Pete Seeger, The Times They Are a-Changin ’ by Bob Dylan, and Peter, Paul, and Mary’s version of Blowin’ in the Wind amid tens of thousands of people. My older brother introduced us to Phil Ochs, who sang I Ain’t A Marchin’ Anymore on the record player in the living room.
The songs were patriotic in their own way – they challenged America to be better and do better.
In the summers, we went to folk singing every Tuesday night, where we learned the words to new and traditional songs. Music was participatory, a group activity, and a form of storytelling and connection. Pete Seeger and Paul Robeson sang in different languages, which helped me see things from others’ points of view. That is one of the reasons I am so excited about the Singing Resistance movement that is emerging now, and that I wrote about a few weeks ago.
So I am thrilled to learn about Bruce Springsteen’s Land of Hope and Dreams tour this spring (He’ll be in NYC in May), and particularly about his song, Streets of Minneapolis, which he sang live at the Riverside Church this week for the 30th anniversary of the show, Democracy Now! He is using his platform to speak out, honoring his love for this country and challenging the cruelty of our current regime. Here it is: