1941
Overview:
Through her popularity as a musician and songwriter, Joan Baez has actively participated and headed many world peace rallies and organisations as well as encouraging many others to make a stand and “overcome”. She was inspired as a child by Martin Luther King and helped to carry on many of his legacies during her life and is still continuing to do so.
Country:
United States of America
Type
of hero: Civil and Political Rights
Attributes:
Musician, Pacifist, Civil Rights Campaigner
Biography:
Joan was born in Staten Island, New York. Her singing career began early in local choirs. In 1956, she heard Martin Luther King, Jr. lecture on non- violence and civil rights. She also bought her first guitar that year. Both of these events would have a significant impact on her later activities. After graduating from high school in Los Angeles, she began studies at Boston University but soon gave that up because of her singing commitments in local coffeehouses.
She first came to national attention after an amazing performance at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival.She sang the song “We shall Overcome” at a number of Civil Rights marches and rallies in the early 1960’s.
During the 1960’s she became ever more politically committed and demonstrated this in actions as well as words. Her protest against the Vietnam War included withholding taxes that she calculated would be destined for the Vietnam war effort.
In 1965, with Ira Sanderl, she founded the Institute For The Study Of Non-violence in Carmel Valley, California. She participated in numerous marches and at one stage in 1966, attempted to enrol five black children in a formerly segregated school. She was subsequently banned from the school. She also gave numerous performances for benefits for Civil Rights and Peace organisations.
In October 1967, she was among 119 people arrested for blocking the entrance to the Armed Forces Induction Centre in Oakland, California. On March 26th 1968, she married draft resister and activist, David Harris. He began a prison term in 1969 during which time Joan had a son. During his imprisonment, she produced “One Day at a Time”. Following his release, they separated.
As a musician, she continued to excel with a nomination for a Best Female Vocalist Grammy Award as well as achieving top 10 status and Gold for a number of her records.
After the end of the war in Vietnam, she turned her peace efforts to other areas of the world. She travelled to Northern Ireland in 1976 and marched with the Irish Peace People. She also highlighted the plight of jailed Czechoslovakian musicians by a mass mailing to members of the music industry. In 1978, she appeared at a number of benefits and concerts on behalf of the Nuclear Freeze movement.
In 1979, she was co-founder of Humanitas, the International Human Rights Committee, which was an organisation she would head for the next 13 years. In that same year, she conducted a fact-finding mission in refugee camps in South East Asia. She has also been a member of the advisory council of Amnesty International since 1974.
And her work rolls on. A quick glance through her home page shows the extensive list of organisations and benefits still supported by Joan.
Citations
& References:
Links:
http://baez.woz.org/
References
Uglow, J., (Ed) 1999 The Macmillan Dictionary of Women’s Biography London, Macmillan (p. 41)
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