Speaking truth to power doesn’t always have to be angry and combative. It can be joyful and fun!
Such was the case on February 28, when a friend and I joined the National Day of Singing Resistance in downtown Manhattan. Organized by Hands Off NYC and led off by the Resistance Revival Chorus, about 500 of us (or so) gathered in Foley Square and then marched around 26 Federal Plaza, where ICE detainees are being held, singing. Yes, SINGING. We were small but mighty.
We sang to the detainees inside (“Hold on, Hold on, dear ones, here comes the dawn”). And we sang to their guards as well (“It’s okay to change your mind. Come on and join us, join us at any time.”). We sang to people passing us in cars and on foot. And we sang to each other.
After Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed by masked ICE Agents in Minneapolis in January, hundreds of people took to the streets in freezing temperatures in protest. They sang words of encouragement to people trapped in their homes by ICE. In singing together, they found a powerful, nonviolent vehicle to voice their grief and outrage. It started with 300, then 600 people, and then thousands. Sometimes they sing in the streets. Sometimes they sing inside churches. Some songs are in Spanish, some in English.
And now there are Singing Resistance groups popping up all over the country to demonstrate and sing. It is going viral — popping up from Vermont to the San Francisco Bay area, and in between at St. Louis, Grand Rapids, Atlanta, and more.
There was something so resonant and powerful about singing together in unison. We were connected, reaching out to our neighbors. It reminded us that we are not alone, that we can come together to stand up for what is right. It felt powerful and positive. If you’ve ever sung in a group setting, perhaps you remember that feeling in your body.
Freedom songs were an important part of nonviolent resistance in the civil rights movement. It was used in the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa, and by Serbian resisters in the late 1990s. It is powerful and loving, and it works. If you’re interested, type in Singing Resistance on Facebook or Instagram to find an event near you. If you don’t see one there, you can start one of your own! Find the Singing Resistance Songbook and Toolkit by the Interfaith Alliance.
Together we can make a difference – love wins!