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By Martin Eder
January 28, 2014 (San Diego)--Legendary folk singer, activist, environmentalist, leftist, songwriter, and troubadour extraordinaire Pete Seeger passed away on Monday, 27 January, 2014.
This very weekend, KNSJ held a tribute concert to Pete Seeger thanks to our invitation of George Mann, who joined us in this musical retrospective celebration of his life. We may have been the last sing-along event of Pete's songs, while he was still alive. As part of the audience, we were uplifted by his spirit and words: "If I had a hammer, I'd singing in the morning, I'd sing it in the evening, all over this land... It's a song of justice, it's a song of freedom, it's a song of love between my brother and my sister all over this land, all over this land..."
Tuesday morning, Amy Goodman and Democracy Now spent the bulk of the broadcast celebrating the life and contributions of Pete Seeger and his cultural activism. Listeners were reminded just how important the programming of our new community radio station is to our values and our information, knowing that KNSJ is the only local station to be honoring Pete Seeger today. This tribute is but one of 1,000 reasons why we need a strong and vibrant, and culturally poignant people-powered radio. Listen to the podcast on DemocracyNow.org at http://www.democracynow.org/2014/1/28/we_shall_overcome_remembering_folk_icon?autostart=true including interviews with Pete Seeger and video of him in concert.
Just a week before, Activist San Diego and KNSJ spent the evening at the Joyce Beers Community Center highlighting the importance that culture plays in building a social movement for social justice. Pete Seeger's life is the embodiment of what it means to be a tribune of the people, a transformer of the existing social order with an undying optimism that "we shall overcome, someday."
In an interview with Amy Goodman, Pete said that we often look and feel that our small efforts are futile, but when hundreds and thousands of us each pick up a tool and chip away at the barriers to social progress, mountains can be moved. As Pete Seeger lays down his banjo at the age of 94, may 100s of us stand up to take his place and sustain a cultural, educational and social movement with the same love, optimism and conviction that he embodied throughout nearly a century of activism.
With love from all of us, Pete Seeger, Presente!
Martin Eder is the Executive Director of Activist San Diego and Station Manager of KNSJ 89.1 FM.
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