What Resistance needs... I am serious. Music Motivates and moves people. Music must emerge.

The civil right movement had Dr. Martin Luther King and many many great followers but when people heard Peter, Paul and Mary, they were inspired.   Speakers are terrific and motivating but the universal thing that gathers the passion and the soul is REAL, Passionate Resistance music tied to peace and screaming for Justice that brings people around is essential in any movement.  People need to be swayed by more than “ I hate this or that”.  They need motivation.  They need inspiration.

They need soladarity….This is done with more than speakers, it is done in music.

The music is what the Pied Piper used if you think about it in those terms.

I remember when I was 12 or so, a small trio of girls including myself won our first talent show with Blowing  In the Wind, 500 Miles and If I had a Hammer.  PPM inspired me to be an activist.  I know that driving song about justice threw me on the right side of history.   I feel honored to have told that to Peter Yarrow many moons later and he gave me a hug.   I am glad I listened and participated and today I stand with the progressives and the only one in my childhood family, mind you, that does stand.   They did not hear what I heard in that music.  While they were singing Amazing Grace, I was singing If I had a Hammer. 

 Nothing calms the fears and raises the hope like music and when standing up for anything, there has to be music of resistance.  Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Woodie Guthrie, and the song “ We shall Overcome” drove influences to change minds and to change the dark place we had to try and climb from.   Crowds will come and raise their fists in soladarity and feel empowered with song.   Think of I am Woman by Helen Reddy.   

The people who carried the message in movements carried it with song and they were giants.   We don’t need parody of song, we need real passion with a group of singers to pick up the banner of resistance and carry it with song.   

I don’t know who you are.  I don’t know where you are.  I just know for REAL CHANGE...REAL passion, we need the music to overcome.   The music plays on when the people are not gathered.   The songs of Resistance need to be universal and need to be sung daily.  It inspires.   Young people.. Find your Mary , Find your Joan Baez, find your Bob Dylan and seek them out and find your songs and I say,

“Sing it and they will come”.  People need constant reminders of what we are and Justice and equality and hate will not conquer.  Persistance and Motivation in song will last long beyond the marches and petititions… They will win minds and hearts because Music is powerful.  Find your music that empowers and resists hate but motivates action.   You need the action to GOTV….You need reminders of what we want back that has been taken away and all the speakers in the world cannot send a message like just two or three songs that identify with achievement.  Make music a huge factor for identification.

Learn from the past.

Listen to some of these songs and tell me again, they did not influence the change

desired.