“Writing is both mask and unveiling.”–E.B. White
There’s a lot of melancholia going ‘round…Pete’s passing…my uncle not doing so well…mom over 90 and what may be or what will be…so before I even got out of bed, this just came to me:
We used to welcome the falling of the snow.
Fred would take the kids sledding
I’d prepare the waiting cocoa
And for one stolen moment, the world was just about us.
“Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”-Pete Seeger
The world has lost a beautiful flower, one of the Greatest Humanitarians it has ever seen or will see again: Pete Seeger. His life, his whole being, inspired me since I was a little girl of about 4 or 5 years of age when my mom bought his first long-playing LP of children’s songs for my birthday. As I evolved, got older, I saw Pete so many times at many different marches, rallies, events and at the old South Street Seaport when he first acquired the Clearwater Sloop and would dock the boat, hand out pumpkins, sing a few songs and bring along some friends to help. I remember one time, one of Pete’s young friends, Don McLean performed an unfinished “American Pie.” Pete was an American Treasure and stood for the best of what we could each aspire to be. We will miss him.
“People everywhere deserve to live in freedom and equality. No one should face violence or discrimination for who they are or who they love,” Secretary of State John Kerry, 1-15-14, MetroWeekly Poliglot
On this day, January 17th, 1945, the evacuation of Auschwitz Concentration Camp began. You can imagine the horror I felt when I read that Nigerian police were rounding up gay men, persecuting them, arresting them, torturing them. It was all too familiar. Nigeria recently passed an anti-gay law that not only prohibits same sex marriage and LGBT organizations, but the simple getting together of a group of gay individuals.
The sad inquiry, “Oh When Will They (or We) Ever Learn? from Pete Seeger’s song, Where Have All the Flowers Gone laments through my heart.
“I think of Andy in the cold wet clay
Those three are on my mind
With his comrades down beside him
On that brutal day
Those three are on my mind”-Frances Taylor &Pete Seeger
Today we remember the birth in 1943 of a lovely idealistic young man, Andrew Goodman, a Queens College student, who asked his parent’s permission, in 1964, to join the Freedom Summer Project and go down to Mississippi to help register African Americans so they could vote. A privileged young man from the Upper West Side, how could his parents say no to this request. The Goodmans had brought him up to do good and even though they could’ve imagined the danger of such a mission, they gave their permission to their much-loved son, Andy. I was 11 years old when I heard that James Chaney, Mike Schwerner and Andrew Goodman went missing in Mississippi and was very much aware to the WHY.
When The Goodmans heard their son was missing along with Chaney and Schwerner, they received a postcard on that very same day from Andy: “Dear Mom and Dad:I have arrived safely in Meridian, Mississippi. This is a wonderful town and the weather is fine. I wish you were here. The people in this city are wonderful and our reception was very good. All my love, Andy.”
Paul Simon, who attended Queens College with Andy, dedicated his song, “He Was My Brother” to Andy and Pete Seeger wrote, “Those Three Are On My Mind.”
Pete Seeger’s uncle, Alan Seeger was an American poet who just so happened to have written one of President JFK’s favorite poems,“I Have a Rendezvous With Death.” When President JFK spoke at Harvard in 1956, he said, “If more politicians knew poetry, and more poets knew politics, I am convinced the world would be a better place to in which to live.” JFK’s love of poetry was evident at his inauguration when he had Robert Frost recite a poem written for this special occasion, the first time a poet spoke at an inauguration. It has been written that JFK would ask Jackie to read Alan Seeger’s poem to him from time to time. Near the end of the 1956 Harvard Commencement speech, JFK recalled a story of a mom in England: “…an English mother recently wrote the Provost of Harrow. “Don’t teach my boy poetry; he is going to stand for Parliament.” As we all remember where we were on this tragic day in the Nation’s history and in the lives of the Kennedys, let us remember the poetry:
“When Spring comes back with rustling shade
And apple-blossoms fill the air”-Alan Seeger
Folksinger/activist, Mary Travers was born today in 1936. Her life was cut short by cancer in 2009. Mary’s voice was so clear and urgent and soothing. We listened when she sang. Pete Seeger’s song, which Mary sang beautifully with her pals, Pete Yarrow and Paul Stookey, is so appropriate today as we remember Kristallnacht, which occurred 75 years ago in Germany and Austria in 1938, 2 years after Mary was born. “Oh When Will They (sometimes “We” is also substituted) Ever Learn?”
Online I read a plea from a consortium of people in Britain exposing the hate that continues around the world.: “75 years after Kristallnacht, racists and fascists inspired by the Nazis continue to attack minorities in Europe. In Hungary neo-fascists target Gypsies and Jews. In Greece Golden Dawn members and supporters brutally attack migrants and political opponents. Here in Britain, minority communities, especially Muslims, have been targeted in an atmosphere that is increasingly hostile towards migrants and refugees. As Jewish people mindful of this history, we are equally alarmed at continuing fascist violence and the toxic sentiments expressed by many politicians and much of the media against migrants, asylum seekers, Gypsies and travellers. We stand shoulder to shoulder with migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in their efforts to live here in freedom and safety, to contribute to society, and be treated as equals. As Jews we stand together with all communities seeking to combat racism and fascism here and elsewhere.”–David Rosenberg & 212 Others
Yesterday, NYS Gov. Andrew Cuomo started an investigation into an upstate school district that may have failed in its responsibility toward safeguarding their students from anti-semitic and hateful crimes and language. Gov. Cuomo stated: “The reports of rampant anti-Semitic harassment and physical assaults at Pine Bush schools, if true, are deeply disturbing,” Mr. Cuomo said in a statement. “The public has a right to know the truth,” he added, “and parents across the state have the right to know that their children can attend our schools without fear of this reprehensible behavior.”–Benjamin Weiser, NY Times, 11/8/13
Mary Travers sang out against hate in all of its nasty forms. “The daughter of politically aware newspaper reporters, Mary grew up in the stimulating Greenwich Village arts community. A love of music and a strong social consciousness came naturally, and by the time Mary was a teenager, she was singing on Pete Seeger’s records. Many gold and platinum albums later, she’s stayed true to the urban folk tradition and to an activist’s sense of responsibility.”-peterpaulandmary site
Peter, Paul and Mary were there with Dr. King in Washington, D.C. in 1963 singing “If I Had a Hammer” and “Blowin In the Wind.” Music still has the power to teach, to transform, to heal.
“Ah, music,” he said, wiping his eyes. “A magic beyond all we do here!”
-J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone
Here’s a favorite of mine (written by the late great John Denver):
“The cry of the poor is is not always just, but if you don’t listen to it, you will never know what justice is.”–Howard Zinn
“With the exception of Romania, NO developed country has a higher percentage of kids in poverty than America. Similarly, America also has a remarkably high percentage of people living in what is called “deep poverty…”-Sarah Abramsky, The Nation, 9/2013
As we remember that 85 years ago we had Black Tuesday, the beginning of The Great Depression & last year we had Hurricane Sandy, we must realize that TODAY in 2013, in the U.S.A., more than 46 MILLION people live in poverty and so-called safety nets are being slashed by some comfortable elected officials who think Food Stamps and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) are luxuries, free hand-outs to people who can pull themselves up by their bootstraps, but are just lazy… what a load of crap
“Come everybody listen while I sing, this high cost of living is a terrible thing. Every day you go into a store, prices hit the ceiling just a little bit more.”–Oscar Brand’s version of a Woody Guthrie song
POVERTY, RIGHT HERE IN THE U.S.A. IS REAL.
As a teacher, I knew I couldn’t teach if a student of mine was hungry. I made sure that every child had breakfast; I’d send a hungry child down to the cafeteria with a note to the cafeteria workers to please provide a breakfast. Many of my students received free or reduced breakfasts and lunches, but if they came in late, as many did, they’d miss breakfast, but NOT in MY class! Under my watch, every student had breakfast and lunch; even students who brought lunch from home, if they forgot it, I made sure they were fed. I also knew that if a student didn’t get enough sleep and fell asleep in my class, well, I let that child sleep. He/she couldn’t learn if tired…if hungry…if depressed. As teachers, we have to be very aware and observant of our students and their families and contact the proper support personnel in the school building to provide the necessary services for our families in need. Teachers are on the front lines and it’s up to them to serve and protect…Yes…it’s a War…a War on Poverty, On Violence, On Abuse, On Dysfunctional Families, On Inequality, On So Many Issues and Situations that affect our most vulnerable citizens from all over the world. Does anyone ever wonder how a teacher can teach when he/she has a multitude of student needs that must be addressed in order for their students to learn? When I think back on my long and successful career, I wonder…How did I do it? How did I instill the love of learning…that learning is sweet, in my ever-changing classrooms? RESPECT, and wow, does that one word contain a lot of stuff!
All the data you need is out there to document how poverty affects our society: on education; on physical and mental health; on the high school drop-out rates; on the future prison population., blah, blah, blah. “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows!” –The MAN, Bob Dylan, Subterranean Homesick Blues
President Lyndon Baines Johnson was born today in 1908; he was our nation’s 36th president. Though he was criticized for how he handled the Vietnam War and the 1964 Democratic Convention in Atlantic City, 2 important documents were signed into law during his administration: The Civil Rights Act (’64) and the Voting Rights Act (’65). President LBJ also initiated The War on Poverty (The Great Society), which included establishing the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO), Head Start, VISTA (Volunteers In Service to America), The Wilderness Protection Act, Medicare…
“The Wilderness Protection Act saved 9.1 million acres of forestland from industrial development.
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act provided major funding for American public schools.
The Voting Rights Act banned literacy tests and other discriminatory methods of denying suffrage to African Americans.
Medicare was created to offset the costs of health care for the nation’s elderly.
The National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities used public money to fund artists and galleries.
The Immigration Act ended discriminatory quotas based on ethnic origin.
An Omnibus Housing Act provided funds to construct low-income housing.
Congress tightened pollution controls with stronger Air and Water Quality Acts.
Standards were raised for safety in consumer products.”-ushistory.org
“President Lyndon B. Johnson issued Executive Order 11246, prohibiting employment discrimination and requiring contractors to take affirmative action.”-LCRM
Many laws and programs that are threatened and/or criticized today in 2013 had their foundation under LBJ.
‘‘The freedom songs are playing a strong and vital role in our struggle,’’ said Martin Luther King, Jr., during the Albany Movement. ‘‘They give the people new courage and a sense of unity. I think they keep alive a faith, a radiant hope, in the future, particularly in our most trying hours’’ –Robert Shelton, ‘‘Songs a Weapon in Rights Battle,’’ New York Times, 20 August 1962.
Is it me or did anyone else miss the music that helped define the Civil Rights Movement and Anti-War Movement of the 60s? Where was the music at yesterday’s 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington? Where was Paul Stookey, Peter Yarrow, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Bernice Reagon? Were they invited??? I could understand if they weren’t able to make it due to scheduling conflicts, illness, etc, but were they invited to begin with??? I don’t know, I only know there was a deafening vacuum of NO music. Where was We Shall Overcome, I Shall Not Be Moved, Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round, This Little Light o’ Mine, Oh Freedom, Which Side Are You On?, If I Had a Hammer, Woke Up This Morning With My Mind On Freedom? Those songs rallied both movements; inspired courage; provided context; gave hope; united people from every walk of life! Where was the diversity yesterday? There are plenty of Caucasians that still believe we’ve a long way to go in Civil Rights, Housing Equality, Educational Excellence for All Students, Informational Technology Equality and Access, Nutritional Food Oases in Every Community, Jobs, Jobs, Jobs and other major issues. Honestly? I think the march could’ve been better organized to galvanize people to truly MARCH ON Washington TOGETHER…how? Well, one sure fire way would’ve been to invite young singer/songwriters that are out there carrying on the tradition passed onto them by people like Bernice Johnson Reagon and Sweet Honey in the Rock and Dylan, Nina Simone, Baez, Peter, Paul & Mary (May she rest in peace), Pete Seeger…They’re out there, they’re not invisible and having those socially conscience performers of all races would’ve brought more people and a more diverse crowd to Washington.
FREEDOM sang 50 years ago!
The role of music in the Civil Rights Movement cannot be understated. I used all of those songs for 33 years in the classroom…Imagine my students from all over the world singing “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round” in the hallways, walking up/down the stairs, on the auditorium stage…These songs are still relevant and to not have them center stage at a march commemorating 50 years of struggle where music played such an essential role, was just plain wrong. Well, I still cling to “This Little Light O’ Mine” and feel inspired everyday through song. Just sayin…
Today in history, Peter, Paul and Mary released their cover of “If I Had a Hammer” in 1962. I remember watching them sing it at The March On Washington on TV. I also got to see them at Carnegie Hall when my older brother took me when I was about 12 years old. “If I Had a Hammer” was first recorded by The Weavers, a great, great folk group in the tradition of Woody Guthrie with their songs that spoke out about unionizing, equal rights and peace. The song has been covered by many, many artists all over the world and was very prominent during the Civil Rights Movement. I used to sing it in the classroom, my students from all over the world loved singing it.
Here’s a list of things I would build “If I Had a Hammer:”
· Build a school system that is based on true respect for teachers, students and their families.
· Build governments throughout the world that support their people and provide excellent and equal education for all of its citizens, equal access to technology and employment with quality health insurance coverage.
· Build a universal Declaration of Human Rights that all peoples and governments throughout the world must follow.
· Build Peace Through: High Quality Education, Music, Respect, Employment, The Arts, Knowledge
· Build more venues with easier access to Voter Registration
· Build a health system that recognizes the value of medical marijuana for all ages.
· Build quality housing for all citizens in all income brackets.
· Build food oases in all neighborhoods with the best foods.
· Build Schools for would-be parents and new parents that teach them how to put the needs of their children first; love and nurture their children; provide for their children; be role models for their children; advocate for their children.
· Build a Society that is not dependent on feeding jails and Stop and Frisk procedures and discriminatory police strategies that alienate and frustrate and evoke anger and hostility.
· Build Love, Understanding, Respect, Tolerance, and a Shared Responsibility for All Peoples and Our Planet and All of its inhabitants.
Ilene On Words 
