Salons at Stowe: Music industry's responses to today's injustices

Welcome to the conversation!

Welcome to the conversation!

Harriet Beecher Stowe's (1811-1896) best-selling anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), made her the most famous American woman of the 19th century and galvanized the abolition movement before the Civil War.

The Stowe Center is a 21st-century museum and program center using Stowe's story to inspire social justice and positive change.

The Salons at Stowe programs are a forum to connect the challenging issues (race, gender and class) that impelled Stowe to write and act with the contemporary face of those same issues. The Salon format is based on a robust level of audience participation, with the explicit goal of promoting civic engagement. Recent topics included: Teaching Acceptance; Is Prison the New Slavery; Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North; Creativity and Change; Race, Gender and Politics Today; How to be an Advocate

This blog will expand the reach of these community conversations to the online audience. Add your posts and comments to keep the conversation going! Commit to action by clicking HERE to stay up to date on Salon and social justice news.

For updates on Stowe Center programs and events, sign up for our enews at http://harrietbeecherstowe.org/email.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Music industry's responses to today's injustices

With issues like equality, stereotypes, racism, and gay rights in the news, some artists have used music to take a stance and share their views. Two recent songs have been "Accidental Racist" by Brad Paisley and LL Cool J, and "Same Love" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, both of which have generated much conversation around racism and gay rights, respectively. Though responses have been mixed, many applaud the artists for furthering dialog around these issues.

Below are links to recordings of both songs as well as the lyrics and the artists speaking about them - what are your reactions to the songs? How do they make you feel? Do they change your opinion?

"Accidental Racist"
Read the lyrics HERE