Genre-defying singer/songwriter and guitarist
COLOR="#003163">Ani DiFranco
Utah Phillips and
singer/songwriter Holly
Near will join actor Danny Glover at the Celebrate the
Children of Resistance benefit April 29 in Berkeley, Calif.
The event at Berkeley Community Theater will feature music,
dramatic readings and poetry and is meant to be a tribute to social
activists' children, whose parents work toward social and economic
justice while raising children in safe, nurturing environments.
Along with Glover and Ed Asner, the children of several people
closely identified with social issues will be on hand. They'll include
Mazi Jamal, son of death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal —
whose cause has been taken up by artists including
COLOR="#003163">Rage Against the Machine
Mos Def — Lisa
Bari, whose mother, Judi, was active in fighting to preserve Northern
California's redwoods, and Robert and Michael Meeropol, the sons
of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
The proceeds will benefit the nonprofit Middle East Children's
Alliance and the Rosenberg Fund for Children.
Phillips, with whom DiFranco recently collaborated, is a legendary
fixture of the folk-protest movement spawned by
COLOR="#003163">Woody Guthrie COLOR="#003163">Pete Seeger
Ambassador for the United Nations Development Fund, an
organization focused on eradicating economic disparity and
advancing the rights of women.
Tickets are now on sale. For ticket information, call the MECA office
at (510) 548-0542 or email meca@peacenet.org.