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Joan Baez: Still making us proud to be Americans [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-05-04
Funny (and true!) story: On Thursday May 1, I left my house to take a walk. It was approximately 5:15pm. As I shut my front door and turned to the street, I noticed man & woman walking together wearing yellow safety vests and carrying [Trump] protest signs. I thought to myself, “Hey, maybe there is a rally this evening.” So instead of my usual route, I followed them...all the way to Mountain View (California) City Hall’s Civic Plaza.
When I got there, there was a crowd gathering and I noticed a friend of mine who served on City Council with me a number of years ago. I asked him what was going on, and he said that it’s the May Day Strong rally that he and a few others organized. He told me (much to my surprise) that Joan Baez was going to attend … and sing!
Mind you, when I left my house, I didn’t think I’d be out very long, but I knew there was no way I could not attend this event. So I called my wife to come over (and bring a sweater for me) and join in the fun. She did. :-)
By the time the event started (roughly 6:10), there must have been about 500 people, with more on their way. Joan was magnificent. A few weeks ago, on my Facebook page, I asked “Where are all the protest songs?” and much to my delight, she provided a couple. In the video below (10 minutes in length) I put all of her time at the microphone. It’s 3 songs and a bit of talking to the crowd.
"People ask me if this is what it was like in the 60s, and I say the 60's was like a fucking garden party compared to what's going on now." — Joan Baez
After the rally, the entire group of people walked about 4 blocks to the major intersection and took up all four corners. I don’t have a lot of images of the signs, but they were amazing. Along the way, I ran into many folks I know from my community.
When you gather to protest the Trump administration, something special happens. Your sense of community and belonging return. Your optimism is rejuvenated and your hope is ignited. Please please please, you good people of Daily Kos, don’t despair: do something.
Please watch the YouTube video I made. I think you’ll like it. If you’re able and willing, please share the link on your socials and/or send it to your friends and family. We can do this.
[If you don’t mind, rec the diary so more people will see this and hopefully share it. Thanks!]
This is only about 1/3 of the crowd (you can’t see the folks behind them) and it was before she started singing. It only grew and grew and grew as the day grew long.
Joan Baez and Joan McDonald of Mountain View, who has been an activist in our city for 4 or more decades. I love this photo.
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