Tag: justice

JAN 27, 2014 - Amnesty International's "Bringing Human Rights Home" benefit concert will be live streamed on the Internet worldwide on February 5th, and to gear up for it, Amnesty International volunteer Kristin Hulaas Sunde wrote a blog on Amnesty's "Livewire" site, where she reminisces about how she was awakened and her activism for social justice really started back in 1988 at the Human Rights Now! concert in Philadelphia. Pete Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Tracy Chapman and more all played to a huge throng of 75,000 activists. Read Kristin's cool blog on LivewireAmnesty.org here, and make sure you catch the Bringing Human Rights Home concert on February 5th next month. The concert will feature the Flaming Lips, Tegan and Sara, Lauryn Hill, Cold War Kids, and others; and the recently freed members of Pussy Riot, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, will be there also. Find out more about the concert here.

JAN 24, 2014 - Do elections matter? JTMP thinks so, and to prove the point just look at Virginia's 2013 Attorney General election. By 900 people going out and doing their civic duty of voting, thousands of gay Virginians will not get their inalienable civil right to pursue happiness trampled on by a conservative Attorney General. The new progressive Virginia Attorney General, Mark Herring, has announced that he will not defend the state's ban on same-sex marriage. Mark Herring won his election by a mere 907 votes, which shows one not only needs to vote, but also pay attention to your local elections. The Governor often appoints State Supreme Court Justices FOR LIFE, and Attorney Generals can trample all over the rights of gay people if the wrong one is elected. So, JTMP reminds everyone to register to vote, vote in primaries and local elections, and pay attention to these rascals. You would be surprised at how much they influence your life. Read more about Mark Herring's startling announcement on NPR.org here.

JAN 20, 2014 - JTMP celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and reminds everyone the same fight is still going on for civil rights such as voting rights, economic rights, and even marriage equality. JTMP applauds the great work done by Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) and Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) for their voting rights act work this month in response to the Roberts Supreme Court gutting the 1964 Voting Rights Act. Voting rights across the country continue to come under attack from conservative activists so we must be vigilant. We must work to dismantle the voter suppression efforts conservatives have erected such as Voter ID laws and the cancelling of early voting, and prevent further voter suppression efforts. Contact your state and federal lawmakers ad tell them you do NOT support voter suppression efforts. (photo credit: Dick DeMarsico/CC)

JAN 17, 2014 - After 9-11, activist-musician Jenn Rogar was so upset by the outrageous actions of the American government, she decided to do something and picked up her guitar and protested. Ever since she has been heavily involved with activism, from Foods Not Bombs that feed the homeless, singing at rallies and using her music as a platform, and even attending city council meetings to speak up about homeless rights. She hails from the Sacramento area, and you can read a good write-up about her on NewsReview.com here, and Jenn's website is here. Listen to her perform at Occupy Sacramento below.  (Photo credit: JennRogar.com)

JAN 13, 2014 - A campaign called "Sing Forward" to raise awareness about the Affordable Care Act has been launched out of Wisconsin by Musicians For Health, urging fellow musicians to enroll in a health insurance program at the HealthCare.gov website. One of the main musical-activists leading the way is Anna Vogelzang, and she is letting other musicians know one can get health insurance through the exchanges for as little as $25-$50 a month; a catastrophic plan can be as little as $10 a month. There is even a song they wrote for the campaign titled "Sing Forward!", and they have the lyric sheet and a video to sing along with. They have a REMIX contest where you can submit your remix of the song, and the prizes are cash, tickets and other cool stuff. I might submit one myself! Check out the video of "Sing Forward" below, and check out the Sing Forward! website here where you can even punch in your zip code and find an affordable health plan. If you ever drop your amp on your foot and break your toe you will need it.

Sing Forward Music Video from Kyle Pfister on Vimeo.