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 HILLTOWN FAMILY VARIETY SHOW
Martin Luther King, Jr. Episode

WXOJ LP – 103.3 FM – Valley Free Radio
Northampton, MA
Tuesday evening @ 7pm

01/22/08 PLAYLIST

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The Indigos K-1 Class from the Hilltown Cooperative Charter Public School came down to the radio station for a field trip. They got to see one of VFR’s reggae programs airing live and took a tour of the production room. Each student took a turn on the mic and shown how sound is recorded and then aired. Together with Jason Threlfall on guitar, the entire class gathered in the production room and sang “The River is Flowing,” aired in this episode. Here’s a slide show from their visit. Thanks to Jason for taking pictures!

PLAYLIST

• Pete Seeger – “Dr. King on Violence” [Seeds: The Songs of Pete Seeger]
• Buck Howdy – “This Little Light of Mine” [Giddyup!]
• Tom Paxton – “Your Shoes, My Shoes” [Your Shoes, My Shoes]
• Dan Zanes – “We Shall Not Be Moved” [House Party]
• Indigos K-1 Class from the Hilltown Cooperative Charter Public School – “The River is Flowing” [Live at 103.3FM WXOJ]
• Dan Zanes – “Down By the Riverside” [Night Time!]
• Ella Jenkins & Pete Seeger – “If I Had a Hammer” [Ella Jenkins & A Union of Friends Pulling Together]
• Toots & the Maytals – “Freedom Train (Jamaica)” [World Playground 2]
• The Deedle Deedle Dees – “Underground Railroad” [Freedom in a Box!]
• Lori McKenna – “Ruby’s Shoes” [Paper Wings & Halo]
• The SNCC Freedom Singers with Dorothy Cotton & Pete Seeger – “We Shall Overcome” [Smithsonian Folkways American Roots]

FIELD TRIP TO VALLEY FREE RADIO

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MUSIC FOR DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY

Putting together this MLK episode was a great pleasure. It was very interesting to hear my co-host/daughter tell us what she’s learned about MLK in her kindergarten class and to share what her current understanding is of that time in American history. And it was interesting to hear her personalize the history by noting her father’s darker Mediterranean skin color. I could see fire in her eyes at the thought of someone discriminating against her daddy.

We featured several classic Civil Rights movement songs on this week’s show, including

• “This Little Light of Mine,” an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement and a song all children should learn as a source of inspiration as they face adversaries and hard times in this life.
• “We Shall Not Be Moved,” an African-American spiritual that was sung during the slave liberation movement and the Civil Rights Movement. A great song to teach your children as they learn to stand up for truth and justice.
• “If I Had a Hammer,” a song that’s been sung during the Labor Movement and the Civil Rights Movement
• “We Shall Overcome,” a song that originated back before the Civil War, that Pete Seeger and Joan Baez have been credited for popularizing.

Another great song that has become synonymous with the Civil Rights Movement is an African-American spiritual, “Oh Freedom,” which was sung by Joan Baez on the morning of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s great speech, “I Have a Dream.” Here’s a video of Joan Baez singing “Oh Freedom.”

“The fact that so many folksingers joined Dr. King in his effort to spread the word about civil rights was hugely relevant, not only because it brought a little added media attention to the effort, but also because it showed that there was a faction of the white community that was willing to stand up for the rights of African-Americans. The presence of folks like Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Peter Paul & Mary, Odetta, Harry Belafonte, and Pete Seeger alongside Dr. King and his allies served as an omen to people of all colors, shapes, and sizes that we are all in this together.”[source]

Check out PBS American Experience post Music in the Civil Rights Movements for more info on music from the time.