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 ** Joan Baez **

Social Change Movement: Civil Rights, Human Rights, and Antiwar Activist

Drive Behind the Movement:

Joan Baez was born to parents who came from a strong religious background. The Baez family was converted to Quaker faith and thus Joan was raised in a strong moral climate. This pacifistic faith was the foundation for the family's activism. Joan is of Mexican heritage and as a child was subjected to racial slurs and discrimination. She would commit herself to music and use her talent to challenge the ills that plagued humanity. Joan advocated nonviolent protest and focused on ending war and discrimination.

Occupation and Socio-Economic Background: Folk-singer, Singer-songwriter, Composer, Guitarist, Activist

Joan grew up in New York and California. She attended Boston University and began to perform in small clubs. Bob Gibson, also a folk-singer, invited her to participate in the 1959 Newport Folk Festival. Previously unknown to most of the public, Joan was a hit at the festival and it sparked her career. She was signed by Vanguard Records and released her first album//, Joan Baez//, in 1960. It brought her much acclaim and she became a symbol of the folk revival. She sang about freedom and Civil Rights everywhere she went. She also refused to perform in segregated arenas and concert halls. Joan performed the civil-rights anthem, "We Shall Overcome", at Martin Luther King's March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. She joined King on other occasions and one of which was the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March in Alabama. This march led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act, a watershed moment for the Civil Rights movement. Part of her income she made from performing and recording went to found the Institute for the Study of Nonviolence. In 1964, Joan withheld 60% of her income tax from the IRS to protest military spending. She also participated in the Free Speech movement at UC Berkley. In 1966 she stood in the fields alongside Cesar Chavez and farm workers striking for fair wages. She nonviolently protested the Vietnam-era draft and consequently was arrested. In 1978, Baez performed at benefit concerts to defeat California's Proposition 6, legislation that would have banned openly gay people from teaching in public schools. Later that same year, she took part in the memorial service for the assasinated Harvey Milk. She founded the Humanitas International Human Rights Committee, which she headed for thirteen years. Among other achievements, Joan was only one of four to have participated in both Woodstock and in LiveAid, the 1985 international rock concert to raise money for African famine relief.

References: Bob Dylan, Martin Luther King, Harvey Milk

Bibliography:

"Gale Schools - Women's History Month - Biographies - Joan Baez." //Gale Schools - Home//. Web. 22 Dec. 2009. ."Joan Baez." //The Joan Baez Web Pages//. Web. 22 Dec. 2009. ."Joan Baez." //Women's History - Comprehensive Women's History Research Guide//. Web. 22 Dec. 2009. [].