Joan Baez, American Singer And Activist

Joan Baez is an icon of her generation, of music and social activism. Her real name is Joan Chaudas Baez and she was born in New York in 1941. From an early age she was involved in civil cases, influenced by the pacifist ideals of the family. His battle weapon is music, through which he has conducted a large number of political and social protests around the world.

Baez is the voice of the marginalized, the persecuted, the disappeared and the massacred. He has also founded numerous organizations against war and violence, endangering his life on numerous occasions.

Joa Baez is a relevant figure in social activism since the 1960s, a woman who lived and worked according to her ideals, a convinced pacifist.

The first years as an activist

Daughter of a Scottish mother and a Mexican father, her family often changed residence due to the work of her father, a well-known scientist. They toured the United States, Europe and the Middle East.

Joan Baez’s father turned down several major job offers in the arms race. He was a man of strong convictions, a trait that his daughter inherited.

Joan Baez began composing music at a young age that allowed her to carry on her protests against war and all forms of violence and social oppression.

During his teens, he actively participated in the march on Washington for the right to work and freedom, heavily influenced by the speech of Martin Luther King Jr. He was present at the march that would be linked for life to his song We shall Overcome .

Her firm stance against the Vietnam War led her to also support the initiative of the Tax Resistance, thanks to which citizens had the right to withhold 60% of their income taxes so as not to devote them to the war. In 1965 he founded the Institute for Nonviolence.

Peace Initiatives by Joan Baez

In the 1970s, Joan Baez participated in the founding of the American branch of Amnesty International. Shortly after, he decided to found Humanitas International, a group very active in the defense of human rights.

On the other hand, it has contributed to spreading a critical vision of democratic governments and authoritarian regimes, regardless of the action of Humanitas International. For all these reasons, it has received numerous attacks, both from the right and left factions.

Over time, she became increasingly critical of US policy during the Vietnam War. He directed publications in major US newspapers expressing his disagreement with his country’s attacks on Vietnamese soil. Finally, she joined a peace delegation in 1972.

Activism outside his country

During the 1980s, Joan Baez toured extensively in various countries, including many ruled by totalitarian regimes. On this occasion he received numerous death threats.

In 1981 she traveled to Chile, Brazil and Argentina, and upon her return to the United States, she became the voice of the mothers and grandmothers of the thousands of disappeared in Chile and Argentina. In addition, he submitted a report on the matter to the US government.

In 1989 he composed the song China , inspired by Beijing’s protests against the Chinese regime’s violence, and began another humanitarian journey to Asia, bringing food and medicine to Cambodia.

Shortly after, he actively participated against the US invasion of Iraq, against the death penalty and the repression of the gay community in the United States.

Joan Baez’s social activism

In the 2000s Joan Baez, far from retiring and resting, continued to participate in numerous initiatives that encourage young college students to vote for pacifist leaders. He initiated various movements against xenophobia, poverty and marginalization in the United States, particularly in the immigrant community.

He has received the Thomas Norton Award and many other awards for his tireless activism. She is a woman who possesses overwhelming energy and strength of mind and who knows how to masterfully engage others.

The struggle for human rights was the constant of his life. Even today, at the age of 75, she actively participates in the feminist marches of the United States against the Trump government and is a source of inspiration for many young people, but also not so young, all over the world.