Pete Seeger Overcomes
Pete Seeger has been an incredibly important inspiration not only in my life, but also for countless others throughout the entire planet. He has accomplished so much and continues to be an unbelievably hopeful, powerful and influential activist and musician.
Democracy Now covers Seeger’s 90th birthday party concert in New York that benefited Clearwater, the environmental nonprofit that Pete and Toshi Seeger founded in 1969; the organization’s mission is to protect the Hudson River and to inspire the next generation of environmental leaders and activists. There is also a growing movement to nominate Pete Seeger for the Nobel Peace Prize, something that I wholeheartedly endorse.
Pete Seeger, with the support of his wife Toshi and his whole family, has shown how one person living their life with integrity can affect so much positive change. The You Tube video highlighted on Democracy Now was produced by Public Television (PBS) as part of their American Masters Series. During the long period of blacklisting, PBS was one of the few public venues to offer an airing of Pete Seeger. The documentary mentions the cutting of one of the songs sung by Mr. Seeger on the Smothers Brothers comedy hour. Tommy Smothers was so enraged by this that it eventually led to a rift big enough to cause the cancelling of the Smothers Brothers program, the story of which is the subject of another documentary. A copy of “Pete Seeger The Power of Song” is available for purchase through PBS.org for $24.95. I just watched it for the second time on TV last night and have ordered some copies for our family. It is an inspiring part of the history of the past three generations and well worth passing down.