2008 Woodie Awards
A night of civil rights festivities
Sari Shutrum-Boward
Issue date: 2/22/08 Section: News
"The song of their laughter, the step of their feet, the voice of their pain that cries out in our sleep, will be judged in the end by the faith that we keep working for freedom now," read the lyrics from Si Kahn's song, "I Have Seen Freedom."
The lyrics from "I Have Seen Freedom" describe senior Josh Shelton's performance of songs about peace and freedom on Feb. 12 in the Greenleaf. Following Shelton's performance, civil rights activist Si Kahn led a discussion about the negative qualities of private prisons in the United States.
Kahn is the executive director of Grassroots Leadership, an organization that works towards abolishing for-profit private prisons. He became involved in activism after the murders of three civil rights workers in 1964. A year later, Kahn worked at the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He has been a civil rights activist for 43 years.
Shelton began the evening's festivities by performing well-known songs from Bob Dylan and other artists, along with his own songs.
"Some of the songs are meant to fit with the theme," Shelton said. "Three of the songs specifically went along with being imprisoned or longing to be free. I chose an uplifting first song so as not to hit people over the head with intense politics as soon as they walked through the door. It was important to set an atmosphere of positivity so folks could receive what Si had to say."
Shelton's performance impressed Kahn.
"He is quite good," Kahn said. "I was impressed with his guitar playing. I thought he used his voice particularly well. He uses an interesting technique and has a higher range."
When Kahn appeared in front of his audience, he jumped into singing "Eyes on the Prize" by Bruce Springsteen. The listeners joined in by clapping and singing.
"The music set the theme," said Garret Zimmerman from Winston-Salem, N.C. "Thumbs up. I already knew a lot of the information, but the discussion was very informative."
The lyrics from "I Have Seen Freedom" describe senior Josh Shelton's performance of songs about peace and freedom on Feb. 12 in the Greenleaf. Following Shelton's performance, civil rights activist Si Kahn led a discussion about the negative qualities of private prisons in the United States.
Kahn is the executive director of Grassroots Leadership, an organization that works towards abolishing for-profit private prisons. He became involved in activism after the murders of three civil rights workers in 1964. A year later, Kahn worked at the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He has been a civil rights activist for 43 years.
Shelton began the evening's festivities by performing well-known songs from Bob Dylan and other artists, along with his own songs.
"Some of the songs are meant to fit with the theme," Shelton said. "Three of the songs specifically went along with being imprisoned or longing to be free. I chose an uplifting first song so as not to hit people over the head with intense politics as soon as they walked through the door. It was important to set an atmosphere of positivity so folks could receive what Si had to say."
Shelton's performance impressed Kahn.
"He is quite good," Kahn said. "I was impressed with his guitar playing. I thought he used his voice particularly well. He uses an interesting technique and has a higher range."
When Kahn appeared in front of his audience, he jumped into singing "Eyes on the Prize" by Bruce Springsteen. The listeners joined in by clapping and singing.
"The music set the theme," said Garret Zimmerman from Winston-Salem, N.C. "Thumbs up. I already knew a lot of the information, but the discussion was very informative."
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Matthew Shelton
posted 2/24/08 @ 1:33 PM EST
Yay, Josh! Making me proud!
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