This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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We remember the life and legacy of Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, who died Friday at the age of 92, just months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg, then a top military strategist working for the RAND Corporation, risked life in prison by secretly copying and then leaking 7,000 pages of top-secret documents outlining the secret history of the U.S. War in Vietnam. The leak would end up helping to take down President Nixon, accelerate the end of the War in Vietnam and lead to a major victory for press freedom. Henry Kissinger once called Ellsberg “the most dangerous man in America.” Over the past 50 years, Ellsberg remained an antiwar and anti-nuclear activist who inspired a new generation of whistleblowers. We mark his death with excerpts from some of our interviews with Ellsberg over the years about Vietnam, as well as Ukraine, tensions with China, the threat of nuclear war and working toward a more honest discourse about U.S. policy. “To this day, the very idea that the U.S. is … an empire is a taboo, and a very unfortunate one, because it makes it impossible to understand what’s going on,” Ellsberg said.
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
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Mary Wilson, a founding member of The Supremes, sadly passed away at the age of 76 on February 8.
Along with being apart of one of the most successful vocal groups of all-time, she was considered a style icon and an activist.Billboard published her final interview, where she discusses the challenges of touring during the days of segregation. She also draws comparisons to the civil rights movement of the 1960s with what is currently taking place with the Black Lives Matter protests.
“The first time, in the ’60s, when we were marching with Martin Luther King, it was really wonderful. His whole premise was peace,” Wilson declared. “Today, what I’m seeing is that people are marching and they’re protesting and the people who are doing that are peaceful. There are always people who are in there to disrupt certain things. That part of it is not happy.”
“Even back then, people were marching and police were siccing wild dogs on them. I just hope we can get this done—move onto the next phase of evolution of human living on this earth, and we can do it without much violence. I’m 76. I don’t want to see violence at all, period. But sometimes there is violence.”“I do want things to change so that people will not feel like I had to feel when I was growing up—that I was not good enough, that I was not human. This is in our lifetime. This is in your lifetime. It’s time to get beyond it,” Wilson added.
The Supremes weren’t known for being a political group, but at times their music did touch upon social themes. One notable example was their 1970 hit “Stoned Love.” It was recorded after Diana Ross left the group.
This anti-Vietnam War protest song was a plea for peace and love. Lyrics like, “Put the present time at hand. Aww yeah–and if you’re young at heart. Rise up and take your stand” represent the widespread protests, which young people have led throughout history.
A few days before her death, Wilson posted a video expressing her excitement for Black History Month. She also discussed a previously unreleased solo album from the 1970s and some new songs that she was hoping to release on her birthday March 6. She planned to post a series of videos during February to highlight significant events that happened to her.
Here is “Stoned Love” by The Supremes:
The post Protest Song Of The Week: ‘Stoned Love’ By The Supremes appeared first on Shadowproof.
This post was originally published on Shadowproof.