Dona Nobis Pacem

I’m honored once again to be a peace blogger. For this, my fourth year participating in BlogBlast for Peace, my Peace Globe is dedicated to Pete Seeger (1919-2014) who died earlier this year. The words inscribed on this globe are taken from words Pete had written on his banjo, “This Machine Surrounds Hate and Forces it to Surrender.”

Mr. Seeger sang about social injustice and political change. His songs were part of the labor movement, the civil rights movement, the environmental movement and the peace movement. More recently, he had sung at Occupy Wall Street in NYC. His songs were sung and recorded by artists around the world because they speak of hope rather than fears. Chances are that no matter what your political affiliation is, you’ve sung a Pete Seeger song sometime in your life.

My peeps saw Mr. Seeger perform many times in their younger days; in concert halls and on the street during rallies. No matter the venue or occasion, the constant was the audience singing along. That’s why I love this video. If you can’t see it, you can watch it on YouTube.

“It’s a very important thing to learn to talk to people you disagree with.”—Pete Seeger