Most people in this country don't realize there's a long-standing tradition of progressivism in Christian religion, and it is finally beginning to reemerge. That progressive movement is about love and acceptance and valuing people for who they are. There is not second class Christian. Conservative Christians claim to love the marginalized and then tell them to sit still in the pew and not speak up or participate. Without Progressive Christians there would not have been an end to slavery in this country, the civil rights movement, child labor laws and a myriad of other changes that that advance humanity.
Christian conservatives and their Republican allies would rather the narrative of social justice be squashed.
I got the chance to meet Pete Seeger. I didn't know it at the time but, the meeting was life changing. The changes were so gradual I didn't really think about them until Pete's passing last week.
It was the mid 60's. I was in high school. The people I hung with were musician wanna be's. We all played. I had taught myself some chords and a couple of lead riffs on guitar. I sang some tunes too. At the time there was a blending of folk and and rock mixed withe the British invasion. I think we all had dreams of making it big. Never mind the talent level, we had a lot of fun.
Appealing to Youthful Rebellion
I got a call from Ron Cope one afternoon. He said, "Pete Seeger is going to be at the Oriental tomorrow night." "Do you want to go?" Without hesitation I said, "Yes." Ron then said, "You know, he's a communist?"
The politics in our high school was Republican and Conservative. The thought of going to see a communist perform seemed slightly rebellious. We went over slight objections from our parents. I found out later that Seeger had quit the communist party about 1950 over objections of the abuses of Stalin's regime.
Pete played and told stories. He talked about social justice and causes. The songs he sang were mostly from the civil rights movement. There were also songs from the labor movement and some adaptations of music from around the world. His two hour performance was intense and drew me in. It was just Pete singing and accompanying himself on guitar or banjo.
The Experience was Personal
After the concert we walked backstage and took the stairs to his dressing room...uninvited. (try that today) He looked tired but, he was gracious and smiled at us when we asked about his twelve string and his banjo playing style. He spent about ten minutes talking with us. Nobody else came up. The moment was magic.
After the concert I bought one of his albums, "We Shall Overcome." I played that album until the grooves wore out.
New Perspectives
His music opened my mind to new ways of thinking about issues. It didn't make me a radical...more of a progressive. Progressive in the sense of creating a level playing field as opposed to creating barriers. The level playing field, or equal opportunities should be in place in order for all of us to be allowed to reach our full potential. The politics aren't as important as the desire to look at issues and ideas in different ways...To explore and understand the perspectives of others. Social justice became a strong theme in my life. The music...the event...changed my life.
That sense of caring about community brought me to Public Radio and to the FOCUS Center for Autism. Thanks, Pete!
