This weekend, Pete Seeger took his spirit of activism and unity to the occupiers at Zucotti Park, leading a crowd of 1,000 people in lyrics of hope, equality, and a better world.
At 92 years old, Seeger – who was joined by 60s folk singer Arlo Guthrie, and several other musicians – marched over 30 blocks in peaceful protest, ending with a variety of musical performances, one of which involved the folk hymn “We Shall Overcome,” a song Seeger helped popularize half a century earlier.
Read more about Pete Seeger at Occupy Wall Street via Associated Press and CBS News.
Seeger is seen as a pioneer of the protest song; from the unions in the 30s, to the civil rights in the 60s, to war in the 2000s, Seeger’s activism as both a storyteller and songwriter has made him a legendary figure in American social and political affairs.
In the 1940s, when questioned about whether or not he performed before communist audiences, Pete Seeger replied, “I have sung for Americans of every political persuasion, and I am proud that I never refuse to sing to an audience, no matter what religion or color of their skin, or situation in life.”
See video clip below of Seeger and the OWS group singing “This Little Light of Mine.”
+Warning: May contain coarse language+
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