The 2001 Quaker Peace Roundtable:
Workshop #4 -- Music and Activism with Laura Dungan and Aaron Fowler
Music and Activism, a first thing in the morning
session, was a lively start to our day. Beginning
with "I'm on my way to Canaan's land," we all joined
in song.
Laura and Aaron are members of the
Friends of Jesus Community in
Wichita, Kansas.
Laura spoke of their leadings and some
experiences of activism, how music is used to unite
and inspire. But music, for this couple, is also for
going home, letting go and relaxing.
Aaron followed, discussing music's role in many
movements. Hymns, songs promoting labor organizing or
civil rights, rally cries for corporate change have
unified people. Individuals joined by music go
further.
Classic folk songs adapt, evolve to fulfill these
purposes. For instance, an early song based on a
gospel tune was sung alone by slaves as they toiled in
the field or as they went to bed. The words, "I'll be
allright - someday" gave courage to go on, to get up
and face the next day.
Then in the 1930's this song traditionally sung
alone became corporate as a textile union of organized
ladies, many who were poor and black, began singing,
"We'll be allright." The song kept them going as
picket lines dwindles and marchers endured cold and
rain.
The next evolution, during the civil rights
movement gave us today's "We Shall Overcome," now sung
in every language thanks to Pete Seeger. Other verses
have become popularized, such as "Black and white
together."
One attendee shared listening to children in
Ramallah, Palestine, singing "We Shall Overcome' with great vigor.
Aaron shared a story. During a civil rights
meeting, deputies broke in. Two young girls on the
floor began singing this song. Soon everyone joined.
Noting he was born at about this time, Aaron
observed he's never truly feared for his life. But
here were two young girls singing louder and louder
until eveyone was singing. Deputies asked if people
had to sing, and if they had to sing so loud. The
singing threw the vigilantes off.
Laura talked of their life in Wichita, Kansas, expanding
on personal information shared Friday evening at the
Roundtable. Seeking a more faithful version of Christian community,
they sought to identify with the poor. Struggling to understand their niche in
their new community, Laura recalled moving to a
primarily black neighborhood with no idea of what to
expect. They hadn't come with any intentions for the
neighborhood, they had come for their own salvation.
With a healthy dose of white guilt, they felt lost
among the many entities - Muslims down at the
bookstore, black pastors, NAACP - and struggled to
understand their neighbors.
Laura landed in community organizing, Sunflower
Community Action. Her personal struggle was with the
appropriateness of a white person organizing a black
community. Realizing blacks should be empowered,
Laura concentrates on training others to replace her.
This frees her to move more into music with Aaron.
Lately, their Wichita neighborhood has been taken
with Latino energy. The new awareness is of the
fears, the realities, the truths of dealing with
immigration officials.
Once a year Laura and Aaron "go visiting" in
Washington, D. C., with a group of about 2000 people.
This year, farmers from Iowa, upset about corporate
pig farms, came along. Our new administration decided
last year's vote protecting individual farmers doesn't
count. And since invitations for representatives to
come talk were ignored, people piled into buses and
went to their homes and country clubs. Laura
observed, "They mess with our lives, we mess with
theirs."
We watched a video clip of a visit to Texas Senator Phil
Gramm's home.
Afterwards, Laura provided details and
background about the event. Reverend Calvert had the bullhorn. As
police arrived, he engaged the officers, as he had
been trained, by organizing a chant such as, "Pay
raise for police!" Police often end up negotiating
for the activists and finding ways to avoid arresting
2000 people. This is all part of the National
People's Action (NPA).
Much the same type type of action is organized
locally. A group recently shut down the driver's
license bureau. The law discriminates against Latinos
being licensed. They are harrassed, asked for
citizenship papers. The recent action seems to have
shaken up the state. Signs are being changed, and
they are getting rid of the police-type uniforms worn
by driving testers. The uniforms are intimidating -
especially for Latinos.
The identification requirements still need to
change. A driver's license office is not immigration,
although the government has been trying to use this
office for screening. The system is so complicated it
hasn't been effective.
Kansas Representative Teahart is 98.9% hardline.
Their group walked into his office and told their
stories. They tried to impress on him that illegal is
not the same as criminal. Teahart let them know he
believes they are the people who make this country run.
He said it is his job to to ease them into our
society.
After sharing that his grandmother spoke German,
he wondered how we have forgotten that we were all immigrants once.
Laura pointed out that legislators have a
mystique. But even the most conservative can change
their mind.
How has music been used during these actions?
Aaron explained, then shared some folk songs and
Christmas carols with all new lyrics. One example was
the gospel song "Walking in Jerusalem" reborn as
"Walking on Washington, NPA."
When Laura and Aaron moved to the black
neighborhood with a few other whites, the Friends of
Jesus Community was born. There was no agenda, but
needs became obvious. Young people needed a voice.
Hope Street - for Youth Who
Refuse to Be Ignored - was
founded to provide tutoring, academic leadership, HIP
(Help Increase the Peace) training, and as a place to work on issues important
to the kids.
When they were asked, the kids' first issue was streetlights.
Since there weren't enough, kids didn't feel safe.
The kids checked every street for one square mile.
They documented where trees blocked the light, where
lights were out, where there were no lights. They
wrote letters and made calls to their district
representative. They were ignored.
On May Day, they all made May baskets and went to
the representative's home. He came out on his porch
in his smoking jacket...and the kids learned political
process. One hundred fifty blocks of trees were
trimmed.
The next isuue, not feeling safe on school buses,
led to a locally producedthree minute rap video featuring junior high
and high school students, including one of Aaron & Laura's sons.
We watched the clip. Aaron commented that it was very difficult to
just let go and allow the kids to create, to see what
they could do, but this video is quite successful. It
is shown frequently on local cable. All the kids know
it.
Laura moved on and introduced the use of parody
songs, often written for a specific event. These
songs are generally shortlived. But they are
effective since they reach out and grab the listener.
They spoke of a demonstration against the IMF
(International Monetary Fund) by
Christian Peacemaker Teams.
With only 100 people,
strategy was needed. One man on stilts represented
everything bad. People were dressed as prisoners or
labelled as countries or with debt. One girl was
Jubilee. An unexpected gift was a group of Korean
folk with drums. Everyone was already bearing an
empty pot to symbolize poverty. They drummed. They
held an exorcism. They prayed at every entrance.
After two hours of drumming and singing to keep the
energy high, it seemed as if there were 2000 of them
working together.
Laura observed the beauty of art and music
interplaying with politics to create change.
A local issue involved a slumlord in who owned a
building in their neighborhood. After foreclosure,
the owner abandoned all. Residents, dealing with the
aftermath of one man's actions, wanted their security
deposits returned. The former ownerdid not seem to
think it was his responsibility.
Laura observed that in the beginning, they were
very good at raising caine, but they had to learn to
follow through. To approach this man, they used a
photo of him decorated as Santa Claus. They collected
garbage, gift wrapped it and went to the country club.
Laura scoped the building and found their target with
a gropu of cigar smokers who had just come in from the
golf course. They burst in and sang a parody of "Deck
the Halls." This was followed by a rendition of "We
wish you and homeless Christmas and a crappy New
Year."
Burgeoning awareness led to problems with Aaron
and Laura'a relationship with their parent evangelical
Quaker church, which was part of Mid-America Yearly
Meeting.
The Friends of Jesus never called themselves a meeting.
Attending a workshop on inclusive language led to
an understanding of gay and lesbian rights. The
Friends of Jesus and some of its members became involved
in actions, which leaders of Mid-America YM did not like.
Becoming aware of sexist language
also led to the rewriting of many lyrics. Their
church banned their music.
Laura and Aaron sang, as an example, a soothing
and beautiful hymn in two part harmony, accompanied
only by Aaron's guitar. Lyrics included, "In God is
my soul at rest, In God - my salvation. God only is
my rock, My strength and my salvation."
As the singing ceased, we sat in silence for a
moment. This song was banned as Laura and Aaron spoke
out for truth.
We were asked, "How has music sustained you in
your activism?"
Two attendees shared stories of the importance of
song in group actions.
Laura explained that art, dancing, celebration
all need to be part of the struggle. It can't be
boring. It must be fun.
Aaron added that healing comes with music.
Laura went on. Political systems, juvenile
justice system maze, these are serious and depressing.
Who wants to deal at that level? Movements need to
be basic, proactive, fun, light. At work you get used
to angry people screaming in your face. We must keep
finding new ways to move and watch what is effective
and raise new spirits.
Ending with an uplifting song of a kid who wants
to hold a school fairt, we were suddenly aware that we
had run overtime. Everyone rushed off to their second
workshop.