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Dr. King, Pete Seeger, & Barack Obama

Posted by ZP Heller, Brave New Foundation at 6:59 AM on January 21, 2009.


Remembering their messages in times of great adversity.

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There was perhaps no better choice for a performer at Barack Obama's inauguration celebration last Sunday night than Pete Seeger.  Not only does Seeger embody Obama's notion of breaking down political, economical, and cultural divides to fire up the masses, but both convey such powerful messages through seemingly simple means. 

From Obama, we've had catchphrases like Hope, Change, Yes We Can, and Change We Can Believe In throughout his campaign.  And from Seeger, we've had about seven decades of anthems like "We Shall Overcome," "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?," "If I Had a Hammer," and "This Land Is Your Land," a hearfelt rendition of which Seeger sang with Bruce Springsteen Sunday night in front of the Lincoln Memorial.  These are songs everyone knows, songs of protest used by progressives over the years to end racial discrimination, labor unrest, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, apartheid, and human rights violations.  Think Seeger deserves a Nobel Prize for Peace? 

Like Obama, Seeger's ideological core is deeply rooted in the anti-war movement and civil rights era of the twentieth century.  And so just as it was profoundly meaningful to have the first African-American President sworn in a day after Dr. King's holiday, it was also significant to watch Seeger up there the day before. 

Last year, Seeger appeared on This Brave Nation in conversation with Majora Carter, founder of Sustainable South Bronx.  Part of their discussion focused on how the activism of Dr. King and Rosa Parks inspired Seeger early on in his career.  He was clearly moved by Dr. King's bus boycott, asking, somewhat rhetorically, why Dr. King started with the buses rather than education or voting.  "When you face an oponent's broad front," he said by way of an answer, "you don't aim at the oponent's strong points.  You aim a little off to the side.  But you win it and having won the bus boycott -- 13 months it took [Dr. King] to do it -- then he moved on to other things." 

Again, a simple yet compelling point about the need to pace ourselves, something to remember as President Obama takes the world stage, especially considering the challenges facing him and the entire progressive movement that include an economic crisis, healthcare, restoring the middle class, and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In times of great adversity like this, it's vital we keep Seeger's messages in mind.

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Tagged as: race, rights, racism, activism, barack obama, martin luther king jr., brave new foundation, robert greenwald, rosa parks, this brave nation, majora carter, pete seeger, "civil, movement", "bus, boycott", "folk, music", "separate, but, equal", inauguartion

ZP Heller is the editorial director of Brave New Films. He has written for The American Prospect, AlterNet, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Huffington Post, covering everything from politics to pop culture.


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Agree 100% - Pete Seeger 's Presence Meant SO Much
Posted by: ZPaul on Jan 21, 2009 11:09 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Yes, it was very significant - and having come of age in the 60s, for me personally, it was such an exhilarating experience to see Pete Seeger leading everybody in Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land" - The song that I would have personally preferred to be our national anthem. When I saw Bruce and Pete together singing, I thought: "Something's happening here".

I hope Seeger's performance will also be an inspiration to all musicians who may play a musical genre that may not often be on commercial radio, but that is an essential part of American culture.

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I was thrilled
Posted by: kittybrat on Jan 22, 2009 11:58 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
THRILLED to see Pete singing along with the nation Woody Guthrie's This Land is Your Land... especially those verses that don't get sung very much.
I was remembering all the struggle, Pete's blacklisting, and yet here he is, triumphantly singing at President Obama's historic inauguration celebration!
We SHALL overcome! yes we shall...
Right on! Right ON!

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Seeger is a national treasure
Posted by: bettyn on Jan 23, 2009 10:20 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
who deserves the same Kennedy Center honors as Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson. Hopefully we will do the right thing and give this recognition to him. He also deserves the Congressional Medal of Freedom IMHO.

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