| Stories Behind the Songs |
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Stories Behind the Songs chronicles the role of music in the struggle for social justice in California and celebrates the transformative power of song. Throughout history, movements for social change have utilized the power of song to recount history and to inspire people in their journey towards justice. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, people used song as a vehicle for the politic, to denounce slavery, promote women’s suffrage, and organize workers in labor unions. Before the Civil War, the song “Follow the Drinkin’ Gourd,” carried coded instructions to help slaves escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad. In 1940, Woody Guthrie penned this country’s most folk famous song, “This Land is Your Land,” to protest class inequality. The 60s and 70s saw many singers raising their voices in support of the Civil Rights movement and in protest against the Vietnam War. More recently, rapper Kanye West, in his song “Crack Music” speaks directly to issues of contemporary American racism. Stories Behind the Songs focuses on three historical eras: The Labor Movement of the early 20th century, The Civil Rights Era, and the Contemporary Struggle for Racial and Economic Justice. Students interviewed musician/activists who came into their classrooms and performed and spoke about the connection of their music to contemporary social justice movements. They produced creative work in response to these presentations, including writing, visual art, and music. The students’ work, as well as professional photographs and biographical sketches of the activists highlighting their contributions to the struggle for social justice, are all included in the exhibit. Stories Behind the Songs was exhibited at the Oakland Museum of California on May 9, 2009. |