http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wium/local-wium-989651.mp3
Macomb, IL – The Occupy Wall Street demonstrations are the latest in a long tradition of protests against injustice. Rallies are not the only method used to raise awareness - music is also often a way to spread the word.
In America, some of the earliest protest music railed against slavery. Even after slavery came to an end, African-Americans continued to be treated as less than human, as Billie Holiday vividly demonstrated in Strange Fruit.
Sean Cordes, Instruction Services Coordinator at the Western Illinois University Libraries, said things have improved since then but there is still a wide gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots."
"We've made great strides in laws to protect people. For instance, civil rights laws, but racism still exists. We've done a number of things to make sure that women are treated fair in the workplace, but the glass ceiling still exists."
Economic disparities also continue to exist. As a result, a song such as Woody Guthrie's This Land is Your Land remains relevant.
"I think the general sentiment is that people are concerned about the fact that it is no longer our land. It belongs to somebody else. It belongs to the Chinese or it belongs to the government or it belongs to the people in the corporations that control our lives," Cordes said.
His favorite protest song is Revolution by The Beatles. Cordes said it calls for making change within one's self. He said, "The revolution is in your head, not around you."
No songs have emerged as the rallying cry for the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, but there is still time. Cordes points out the factors behind the protesters' anger have not changed.
"The 'haves' are small in number but have way more than they used to, and so the 'have-nots' have even less."
Several more listening parties are scheduled this year. Each begins at noon in Room 180 of the WIU Malpass Library:
Thursday, November 3: "Way Past Midnight," featuring Dennis Devolder, interim director, School of Computer Science.
Thursday, December 1: "All Warren Zevon, All the Time," featuring Mark Dial, associate director, University Television.
Thursday, December 8: "Desert Island Discs," featuring Rod Sharpe, associate professor, University Libraries.