March 28th, for the 3rd round of No Kings protests, over 8 million people participated in 3,300 gatherings in our 50 states. Like its first gathering last June, when crowds came together to say “Power belongs to the people” loud and clear, and then like its second assemblage in October that got even bigger and louder, the latest No Kings became the biggest protest in U.S. History.

That Saturday afternoon, along one of the main roads in Phoenix, Arizona, amidst protester cheers and honking cars, uniquely intriguing vocal melodies arose from the bustling crowd. After extensive strolls with impassioned people carrying cleverly illustrated No Kings / ICE Out signs, I found the source of mystery melodies convened beneath palm trees. There stood a singer with a megaphone, while a couple other folks at their side sang into the open air. One individual lightly tapped a tiny tambourine, as another sat on an upside-down bucket shuffling a small egg shaker in their hand, providing simple beats for powerful messages.

When stopping to admire and applaud bold voices, I was witnessing an immense movement, far more expansive than this gathering on this single dynamic day. I could have turned to continue cruising through the crowd, but musically magnetic instincts encouraged me to engage. So after a thank you to the group and the lead singer, I asked where those melodies came from, to which they responded saying “We are the Singing Resistance. We Started in Minneapolis.” So this was not improvisational – this was the soul of Minnesota exemplified, and expanding. “We have songs that we share and we learn together so we can just pop up and take action whenever we need to.” I delightedly mentioned the way their voices inspire and harmonize sweetly with all the noisy cheers and honks, and that thanks to their musicality this protest comes to life even more. They agreed, saying the singing “brings its own kind of energy which is really cool.”

After the event, I found there are a whole lot more details about these singers to be discovered. Anyone is encouraged to access an entire “ICE OUT Sing-In Resistance Songbook,” as part of the Interfaith Alliance’s efforts “to train Americans to respond courageously to rising authoritarianism.” As their Resistance Revival Chorus reminds us, “Music has always been at the core of resistance.” In the Civil Rights Movement, the Labor Movement, during Jim Crow, and the Women’s Liberation Movement, music “served to guide people, to uplift them, and to give them strength.”

On YouTube, a local February Minneapolis-St. Paul News clip announced that “Singing Resistance provides melody behind ICE opposition.” Reporters note how “This has turned into quite a movement; the group is called Singing Resistance. They sing together in churches, in the community, and outside of hotels… It’s created community through song.” As another local resident describes, “To sing our grief, our anger, our hope, and to encourage one another… has been so helpful in processing what’s going on.” The group “is drawing on such a long history of song as a part of resistance…” and they “will continue to sing because the community will need it.”

There’s also a “Toolkit” online that lays it all out in more detail, starting with the answer to “WHAT IS SINGING RESISTANCE?” Basically, it “is building a mass movement of singers to protect and care for our communities in the face of rising authoritarianism… grounded in love, nonviolence, and solidarity.” On top of that, “We sing because song is an antidote to fear, song helps us connect to each other, and through song we can name and protect what we hold sacred.”

Below is one of the striking songs I gathered while expressed from these voices. “It’s Okay to Change Your Mind” is only a fraction of the Singing Resistance Superpowers, but again and always encouraging everyone to make connections. Meanwhile, as I was told in person and websites affirmed, the Singing Resistance says “We welcome everyone into the movement for collective liberation.” And as the Interfaith Alliance puts it, “In some of the toughest times in our country’s history, this project is a celebration of people coming together, finding their voices, and sustaining one another.”

When musician Brandi Carlile traveled to Minnesota and performed in Minneapolis in February, she was thrilled that the Singing Resistance joined her on stage for this tune, and together they got to make “joyful and powerful noise.” She thanked them and this specific song’s writer, Annie Schlaefer, on Instagram “for their incredible voices (and) their leadership,” also their “strength and conviction.” As the lyrics encourage folks, “you can join us here anytime!” And as our Phoenix protest song leader confirmed, as well as impassioned communities all over Instagram, “HERE” is not limited to one physical place, but extends across various cities in every state. We are all invited to become engaged.

= IT’S OKAY TO CHANGE YOUR MIND =

It’s okay to change your mind
Show us your courage,
leave this behind.

It’s okay to change your mind,
and you can join us,
join us here anytime.

As one onlooker noted, “Don’t underestimate the power of music and kind words. I’m sure there’s a hardened heart out there that will crack and let some light in.”

Find some Singing Resistance groups near you!

( kate.d.molly@gmail.com )