The Occupy Movement may have been born out of inequality and unhappiness, but some of the resulting protests are just plain fun. Perhaps one of the best examples is Occupella, the cleverly-named group which organizes informal public singing at Bay Area occupation sites, marches and at public transportation stations. Now, Occupella is asking for everyone’s involvement with Sing Out for Earth Day this Sunday, April 22. At 3 p.m. EST (so that’s noon for all you west coasters, as the goal is for everyone to sing together), groups will be meeting at Earth Day events all over the country - and even internationally in places like Canada and Spain - to sing “This Land Is Your Land”. Participants are encouraged to write their own contemporary verses to reflect the current situation around the world. Some sample verses (and the original lyrics, in case you’re a little rusty) are available on the group’s website.
“When people are listening to speakers, it can be very inspiring but it’s not interactive," said Hali Hammer, an Occupella member and the mastermind behind the event. "The idea of playing music at rallies is that it’s totally interactive and people get to be a part of it.” She got the idea from the documentary, “The Singing Revolution,” about 300,000 Estonians singing their national anthem and bringing about social change together.
“The more people that are a part of things, the more empowered they are,” she said.
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