This summer The Peace Train is visiting and performing in ten United States cities. It is based on a highly successful project from South Africa. In the 1990s, while South Africa was on the brink of civil war, The Peace Train project mobilized a chorus of hundreds of young people from different segregated racial communities to support Nelson Mandela's vision for an end to apartheid and national unity. The project was initiated by folksinger Sharon Katz who also heads the new American version. The documentary "When Voices Meet" tells the story of that earlier struggle for equality and justice.
This year's American Peace Train tour includes an ethnically diverse group of over 100 young performers who travel from city to city from July 4-18, 2016. Additional singers of all ages will join performances when The Peace Train arrives in each city.
The theme of the tour is "Putting the 'United' back in the USA." The tour's goal is in a time of divisive rhetoric and racial strife, to bring together thousands of people to "sing about their shared values and their hopes for social justice." The Peace Train is scheduled to stop in New York City, Jersey City, Trenton, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, DC. Its final performance will be at the Washington Monument on July 17.
The Peace Train performs in the New York metropolitan area on Saturday, July 9 and Sunday, July 10. The Saturday show will be at 8 PM at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 West 64th Street, New York, NY 10023. The Sunday performance will be at Liberty State Park at 5 PM.
From July 8-10, educators, parents, and activists will rally in Washington, DC for three days of action in defense of public education. Featured speakers include author Jonathan Kozol, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, and Diane Ravitch. On July 8 there will be a People's March for Public Education and Social Justice. Save Our Schools is organizing a conference for July 9 to be followed by a July 10 Coalition Summit and organizing session. The program for the rally and meetings includes full, equitable funding for all public schools; safe, racially just schools and communities; community leadership in public school policies; professional, diverse educators for all students; child-centered, culturally appropriate curriculum for all, and no high-stakes standardized testing.
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