The American Protest Song has a long history of singing out against injustice and intolerance through the ages. This course will trace that history and the giants of the genre and their work. Topics include, civil rights, native American rights, women’s rights, labor movement, anti-war, and the environment.

We will start by telling the real story behind Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land,” continue with “I Ain’t Marching Any More” during the late 1960s, and include Billy Holiday’s “Strange Fruit,” among the many iconic songs that enrich our heritage.  We will include works by Phil Ochs, Pete Seeger, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Paul Robeson, Joan Baez, Peter, Paul and Mary, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan, among others.

Over six dozen songs will be presented during this five-week course. Content will include the artists’ background and the background of their songs. Representative songs will be played. There will be opportunities for the class to tell of their experiences with the songs and how they may have been affected by them.  

I presented this course at LLAIC in the spring 2025 and it was very well received. Therefore, I am repeating it, this time on Zoom for those who have heard about it or could not attend in person.  

Preparation will involve reading the Wikipedia biographies of the artists represented each week and acquainting oneself with the lyrics of the selected songs. Come and enjoy, reflect, and reminisce.