Heartland Concerts is an all volunteer folk and acoustic music series, presenting the finest in local, regional and national performers in the Rochester, New York area.

Emma Goldman, the anarchist visionary with roots in the city of Rochester, once said, "If I can't dance, it's not my revolution." She understood the power and importance of culture in shaping how people experience the world and how music liberates the human spirit. She believed that to be fully human is to celebrate the creative spirit that dwells in the souls of all humans.

Many others have also grasped the connection between art and the struggle for human liberation. The Lawrence Mill workers understood this when they demanded Bread and Roses. The Wobblies used the songs of Joe Hill to educate and organize the timber workers in the Great Northwest. They would stand on street corners in Seattle and sing their message of how collective bargaining gave power to ordinary working people. The miners in Kentucky and many others found courage and strength in the powerful words of Florence Reece' song Which Side Are You On.

The Civil Rights Movement drew from the deep well of the songs of the Black Churches and honed their gospel into a mighty sound that blew down the walls of prejudice and Jim Crow. Time and time again music built a bridge between cultures and brought people together in a common understanding and shared passion. In South Africa the music of the Bantus, with their rich harmonies and powerful contrapuntal rhythms, steeled the courage of an oppressed nation to rise up against their bondage.

Ray Charles broke through so many of the boundaries that separate our society through the magic of his musical genius. He brought gospel into the dance clubs, country music to urban dwellers, rhythm and blues to white teenagers and pop music to everyone. He proved that genre does not matter, all great music has the power to move people.

In these dark times, we who labor for a more progressive vision of society must find a way to connect our vision with powerful music. Music is a way to reach people we don't usually connect with. Music is also a way to strengthen our resolve and to hold our community together. We understood that in the past. People used to sing all the time. They did not rely on corporations to provide them with entertainment. We need to recover these voices and raise them in songs that teach, songs that can recreate a world we want to live in; a world where all humans are held precious, where the earth is respected and the wealth of the planet is not hoarded for the enrichment of a privileged few but is shared for the benefit of all humankind.

The Raging Grannies understand the power of simple songs to change the world. They have gotten national attention on NPR and frequently headline at the events they attend. As we continues to fight for social justice in our community and the world we need to make music part of our strategy. We need to support local non-corporate, non-commercial music venues in the way that we support non-corporate, non-commercial food emporiums and fair trade goods. We need to actively pursue music to make our fight for justice more effective.