From Rolling Stone · Joan Baez · · 1m 20s
Joan Baez: Action as Antidote to Despair
Joan Baez calls for collective action to combat despair amid political turmoil.
In brief
Joan Baez calls for collective action to combat despair amid political turmoil. Joan Baez urges immediate action against systemic issues like immigration enforcement and oligarchic power concentration. Originally reported by Rolling Stone.
Joan Baez's Music Tour Legacy
Forty years ago Joan Baez joined Amnesty International's A Conspiracy of Hope music tour with U2, Sting, Peter Gabriel, and the Neville Brothers to raise awareness of human rights abuses.
“Forty years ago I joined Amnesty International's A Conspiracy of Hope music tour”
Joan Baez's Activism History
Joan Baez stood with Dr. Martin Luther King at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, participated in Berkeley student protests against the Vietnam War, and went to jail supporting military induction resisters.
“I was proud to stand with Dr. Martin Luther King at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963”
Joan Baez's Global Advocacy
Joan Baez has supported prisoners of conscience worldwide, including performing for Vaclav Havel during the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia and singing for Sarajevo citizens during wartime.
“I have stood up for prisoners of conscience in all parts of the world”
Power to the People Festival
Joan Baez will perform at the Power to the People Festival on September 29, 2026, organized by Tom Morello and featuring Bruce Springsteen.
“This weekend, I will be performing at another concert, the Power to the People Festival”
Current Call for Action
Joan Baez urges immediate action against immigration enforcement, the politicization of courts, and the concentration of executive power by oligarchs, calling for the 'No Kings' protest movement.
“Together, we can speak out forcefully against the concentration of executive power (No Kings!)”
Action as Antidote
Joan Baez states that action is the antidote to despair, emphasizing the need for collective resistance against systemic issues in the current political climate.
“There is never a doubt in my mind that action is the antidote to despair.”
The big picture
Joan Baez urges immediate action against systemic issues like immigration enforcement and oligarchic power concentration.
