News

The PMN Steering Committee has passed Resolution 260222A, entitled PMN ANTI-ICE RESOLUTION.

BE IT RESOLVED:

     The Steering Committee of the People’s Music Network for Songs of Freedom and Struggle (“PMN”) condemns the actions of the United States Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) against the people of this nation.

     For nearly 250 years, accurately and inaccurately, the United States of America has presented itself to the world as the standard bearer of individual rights and liberty.  Our Declaration of Independence, for example, contains some of the most potent and consequential words in recorded history.  Ironically, none of those words support the outrageous practices and horrific behavior employed by the current President of the United States and his subordinates since he has been in office.

     Through DHS and its “military” arm, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”), this Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces has degraded the security of these United States and its residents.  He has violated the spirit, the intent and the specific language of our nation’s Constitution – a document admired and emulated around the world – and numerous other laws.  He has immorally redefined the phrase “with liberty and justice for all” to arbitrarily exclude individuals.  He has unlawfully demanded violence by federal employees against U.S. citizens and residents – including lethal force – enabling ICE as a terroristic para-military organization.  He has arrested, detained and deported individuals without due process.  He has treated children inhumanely.  

     He has eviscerated the protections embedded within our federalist system and discarded the rights of individual States and municipalities.  He has advocated for and supported misleading and libelous characterizations of individuals defending American civil liberties and rights.  He has used federal power unethically and illegally to limit freedom of speech and assembly, and to fascistically threaten the media and individuals who exercise their “free speech” rights.

     Abusers of power will always seek to control and exploit others.  They use corruption and lies to advance their selfish agendas.  Abusers may be called Hitler, Putin or Trump; authoritarians, Nazis or MAGA; storm troopers, the Ku Klux Klan or ICE.  They are all the same.  They have been and should always be overcome by courageous, freedom-loving people.

     Therefore, the People’s Music Network stands with and sounds the call with our neighbors in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, Philadelphia, Maine, New York City and any place where the abuse of power and the abandonment of decency is taking place.

     We gentle, angry artists in America pledge ourselves to support the voices of the unheard and the dismissed, to protect the rights that we and our neighbors are entitled to under our Constitution, and to tell the stories of those who are sacrificing or who are being sacrificed every day in the struggle to preserve life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  

     We are singing for our lives and we shall overcome!

Jane Sapp: Music, Movement, and Community

A life devoted to freedom through song

By Lindsey Wilson

“Music should make a difference in people’s lives — it has to speak to the human condition.”

                                                        -- Jane Sapp

Jane Wilburn Sapp is a revered activist, musician, and educator whose life’s work is grounded in justice, faith, and the transformative power of community singing. A longtime contributor to the Highlander Folk School, Ms. Sapp has devoted decades to using music as both a spiritual practice and a tool for liberation, uplifting individuals and strengthening movements through shared song.

Community singing is not only Ms. Sapp’s passion; it is her calling. An accomplished pianist, she has taught generations of young people the beauty and purpose of communal singing, showing how one shared song can build connection, foster belonging, and strengthen collective identity. Through music, she has helped people, especially those who were silenced, find their voices and recognize their power within community.

Alongside her late husband, Hubert Sapp, Ms. Sapp co-organized the first Black Belt Folk Roots Festival in Greene County, Georgia, creating a vital cultural space that honored Black folk traditions and community expression. After her husband’s passing, she continued this work with grace and resolve, sustaining its impact through teaching, performance, and mentorship.

Ms. Sapp’s life is deeply interwoven with the Civil Rights Movement. She knew and worked alongside great leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, and remains a true soldier for justice. She has also performed at Carnegie Hall with Pete Seeger, founder of the People's Music Network.

From 2022 to 2025, Ms. Sapp served as a valued member of the PMN Steering Committee, offering wisdom, leadership, and historical grounding that strengthened the network and its mission. During PMN gatherings, she has led workshops exploring the history of Negro Spirituals and their profound influence on Black American culture, sharing music that reflects the deep gospel traditions of old while illuminating their role in resistance and healing.  We are thankful for Jane Sapp's enrichment of the PMN experience for so many members.

Ms. Sapp’s work is also featured in the documentary "Someone Sang for Me", which highlights her community-based cultural development programs dedicated to helping people find their voices through the arts.

Still performing, still teaching, and still leading, Jane Sapp embodies the enduring power of music to heal hearts, expand minds, and move communities forward. As we honor her during Black History Month -- and Women's History Month -- we celebrate a PMN member living a life devoted to freedom, faith, and collective liberation through song that remains strong and true:

“…the most powerful soil for planting seeds of change is where people have a sense of community.”

                                                     -- Jane Sapp

Jane Sapp's website -- stories, songs, legacy:  https://www.janesapp.org/

Jane Sapp's book: Let's Make A Better World:  https://www.janesapp.org/book

JANUARY, 2026 MEMBERS OF THE MONTH Our inaugural class consists of three PMN members who are rotating off of the PMN Steering Committee during the Winter Gathering at the end of January 2026.  Their successors will be elected at a Membership Meeting during the Winter Gathering.  Thank you all for your service to PMN! JOANIE CALEM from Columbus, Ohio, served on the PMN SC from 2021, and as Chair of the Steering Committee during 2025.  She is grateful to the current Steering Committee's ability to face the challenges that come with a small non-profit organization and she looks forward to being an active PMN Member once again without the governance role. Joanie is a musician, singer/songwriter, storyteller, disability awareness activist, community-builder, cross-cultural worker and teacher.  She lived in Israel for 24 years where she started her adult life as a musician and simultaneously worked in Jewish-Arab relations building cross-cultural community work projects.  In the U.S., Joanie has been teaching music and performing since 1998. She uses music to break down stereotypes, build community and foster connection.

ERIC LAW hails from Rancho Mirage, California, and has been instrumental in boosting greater inclusion of non-East Coast residents in PMN Membership activities.  Eric just released his third album,  MIRRORS. Eric is an electrical engineer by training, an Episcopal priest, an author of 12 books, and the founder of the Kaleidoscope Institute for Diverse and Sustainable Communities.  He has lived in different parts of the United States, and is currently focused on songwriting during his retirement and California residency.

LINDSEY WILSON currently resides in the Bronx, New York City, though she, too, has lived in different places during her journey. Lindsey is a singer/songwriter who embraces issues of the heart and mind in her original music. She writes love songs, protest tunes, and lyrics of empowerment. Her influences include some of the great folk-pop singer songwriters of all times such as Richie Havens, Joan Armatrading, and Joni Mitchell, but Lindsey's message is all her own.

Dear PMN community,

On behalf of the Steering Committee, I want to apologize to the PMN membership for a mistake we made when we scheduled the PMN Fall Gathering at Camp Grotonwood in Gorton, MA from October 4 to October 6, 2024. October 4 is when the sacred, two-day holiday of Rosh Hashanah ends. We failed to give due consideration to the fact that the timing of the Fall Gathering prevents members who observe two full days of Rosh Hashanah from being able to travel on Friday, October 4th. We deeply regret having caused this scheduling conflict.

Our oversight has caused hurt feelings and excluded some members. We apologize for this harm. We were not mindful enough in our scheduling, and I am heart-broken about our mistake.

The Steering Committee’s decision was not deliberate. Many of our long-time members are Jewish and several on the Steering Committee are Jewish, including myself. It was a terrible oversight.

In many ways, Camp Grotonwood has been PMN's answer to our long search for an ideal camp for our overnight PMN gatherings, which are so powerful for building the community connections that we cherish as an organization. In 2024, the only weekend when the camp was available was October 4-6. Unfortunately, by the time we realized the scheduling conflict and its impact on some of our members, we found ourselves without an alternative plan.

Rosh Hashanah initiates a period of “Tshuva” - “turning” - profound reflection on the way we have hurt others, coupled with a deep wish for forgiveness and commitment to do better in the future. The Steering Committee definitely “missed the mark” in this case. I also regret my own delay in publicly acknowledging the mistake. The Steering Committee recommits to preventing scheduling conflicts of this sort in the future by ensuring careful consideration of the calendar of holidays to avoid hurting any of the members of PMN we hold so dear.

Next year, our three-day overnight camping experience, which we are calling a "Fall Gathering" this year, will go back to being a Summer Gathering as has been our tradition for decades. We already reserved Camp Grotonwood on Memorial Day Weekend, May 23-25, 2025, the same weekend when we gathered in 2023. We intend to work with Camp Grotonwood to reserve Memorial Day Weekend annually for future Summer Gatherings. We're also planning a Winter Gathering in NYC from January 24-26, 2025.

In healing and solidarity,

Erland Zygmuntowicz

Chair, PMN Steering Committee

The New York City Chapter of the People's Music Network will host an in-person gathering of musicians and activists for peace and justice on the weekend of July 19-21, 2024.   It takes place at the Henry Winston Unity Hall on W 23rd Street in NYC.  This is a great chance for the beloved community of PMN -- both within NYC and beyond -- to gather, to sing, to share skills and musical traditions, and to continue building a community of artists who are dedicated to using their craft in service of the urgent movements we're part of.

There will be a welcome party and hybrid concert on Friday, July 19, which will include PMN members performing remotely.  We'll have a full day of workshops on Saturday, July 20 with an evening collaborative concert.  On Sunday, July 21, we'll have Songs of the Spirit.  Make your travel plans today!  We're aiming to support members to find housing in the city, and the process for that is still getting established.  Registration will be posted in early June.

How did this event come about? For many decades, long-time PMN members have gathered for a 3 day overnight music experiences around this time of year, usually at a remote summer camp location.  In 2024, the timing of that gathering had to be shifted to the Fall, because the camp hosting us only had one weekend available: October 4-6, 2024 in Groton, MA.  That left Summer 2024 open for an additional event, and the best date was July 19-21.  The Steering Committee is grateful to members of the local Chapter in NYC for stepping up to host us again as they have done many times before.  We realize this announcement is coming out later than we would prefer, but we also know that the local NYC Chapter is doing a very good job of including new artists and maintaining a vibrant musical culture with the monthly song gatherings they have been hosting since late last year.   So we're confident that drawing members together in NYC will be an inspiring experience.  Please consider attending!

If you'd like to get involved with workshop ideas, housing offers, and/more, please reach out!  <pmn@peoplesmusic.org>

In 2024, PMN will be holding our traditional "Summer Gathering" as a Fall Gathering, taking place October 4-6, 2024 at at Camp Grotonwood in Groton MA.   

In May 2023, PMN held a wonderfully successful 3 day community building event at Camp Grotonwood.  It was our first time using the camp, and its facilities supported our community in coming together in a beautiful way (see videos from the event).  In the months to come, expect to hear about additional plans coming together for the 2024 PMN Fall Gathering. 

Looking ahead to 2025, PMN is tentatively scheduled to come back to Camp Grotonwood for Memorial Day Weekend, May 23-25, 2025.

REGISTER NOW!

We have exciting news to share about the PMN Winter Hybrid Convergence taking place in NYC and on Zoom from January 26-28, 2024 as well as a "Save the Date" for the next PMN Fall Gathering, October 4-6, 2024 in Groton, MA!

There's been great interest among PMN members making plans to come to NYC from out of town for the Winter Hybrid Convergence, taking place from January 26-28, 2024!  Originally, we planned Friday and Sunday would be Zoom-only and we'd have in-person activities on Saturday, January 27 at The People's Forum on West 37th Street in Manhattan.  In order to give a bigger and richer container for our musical community to grow, we've added in-person events in NYC at the Henry Winston Unity Hall on West 23rd Street on both Friday evening, January 26 and Sunday morning and afternoon, January 28. 

Every year from 1982 to 2020, PMN held a major three-day Winter Gathering in the final weekend of January.  Since the pandemic, PMN has been hosting multiple one-day in-person events in NYC.  The added energy for in-person gatherings on Friday and Sunday at this upcoming Winter Convergence is another sign that PMN is rebuilding the pre-pandemic organizational momentum that once was regularly drawing over 200 musicians, activists and allies together for our Winter weekend events.

Meanwhile, PMN hasn't lost the momentum we built during the pandemic for our virtual events, which have been connecting PMN members all over the world.  For this hybrid convergence, we're once again offering great Zoom-only workshops and song swaps as well as the option to tune into some of the workshops taking place in-person in NYC and various Zoom hang-out spaces where you can meet other PMN members around the country.  Take a close look at this year's full schedule for the Winter Convergence.

On Friday, January 26, PMN Members anywhere in the world may register to perform in the Virtual Round Robin @WinterConvergence, which begins promptly at 6:30pm (ET).   The additional new plan is that the PMN-NYC Local Chapter will host an in-person gathering space at Henry Winston Unity Hall (HWUH) during this same time, which includes a watch party. Doors open at 6:00pm.

Any PMN member signed up to perform in the Virtual Round Robin who comes to HWUH in person may perform from the space.  Their audience will be people gathered together for the watch party as well as the larger audience watching from home on Zoom.  Watch party attendees will see performances by PMN members from around the world.

Dinner will be provided at HWUH and an additional financial contribution on a sliding scale of $15-$50 from attendees is requested.  We have access to a separate space for song sharing and socializing late into the night.

On Saturday, January 27, the Winter Convergence takes place all day at The People's Forum.  Lunch and Dinner are provided as part of the registration fee.  Following an opening ceremony, we have morning and afternoon workshops, followed by a Collaborative Performance space in the evening.   

On Sunday, January 28, all Winter Convergence participants are invited back to HWUH.  For the morning session, a big highlight will be Jane Sapp's Choral Workshop in which participants will be "Learning Gospel Songs of the Black Church & Freedom Songs with a Gospel Sound".  There will be a simultaneous session called "Hard Hitting Song Swap."  In the afternoon, we'll be holding a membership meeting that includes a presentation on how to build a local chapter of PMN, led by the PMN-NYC Chapter.  There will also be a dance party.  The event on Sunday is new, and we're going to create a separate registration form for it.  We're still working out the details about how we will provide breakfast and lunch, and will be able to provide a suggested sliding scale for Sunday Registration, which will be a lower cost than Saturday's in-person event.  Registration will also be available on site for Sunday, January 28. 

If you aren't registered, just register for the in-person event on Saturday at The People's Forum, and know there will also be an opportunity to register for Sunday if you can make it.  And do it today if you can.  Registrations received by tonight Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 11:59 PM, receive a $5 discount.

Housing:  If you live in NYC and you are able to offer housing on January 26 and 27, OR if you are coming to NYC from our of town for this event and you need a place to stay, please reach out to our housing coordinators: Erland Zygmuntowicz <erlandzyg3@gmail.com> and Dave Tarlo <davsong211@hotmail.com>.  We are trying to support our community in participating in the convergence all weekend long. 

The Steering Committee of the People's Music Network for Songs of Freedom and Struggle unanimously signed a letter, "McCarthyism Is Back: Together We Can Stop It", which excoriates The New York Times (NYT) for "McCarthy-like attacks against individuals and organizations criticizing US foreign policy."  The Times recently published a piece, unfairly targeting organizations including CODEPINK, Tricontinental Institute, and The People’s Forum.  Since 2019, The People’s Forum has hosted multiple PMN-sponsored events.  The People’s Forum will also host the upcoming PMN Fall Hybrid Convergence, taking place in person on Saturday, October 28, 2023 and on Zoom from October 27-29.

The Times is engaging in a political witch hunt, making baseless insinuations about peace activists who oppose a New Cold War with China but who have committed no crimes.  Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) is now amplifying these insinuations, citing the Times article in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, pushing the Justice Department to investigate the organizations targeted by the Times.  The People’s Music Network stands against this witch hunt, which fosters a climate of fear about anyone connected to China and produces a chilling effect on US citizens who oppose their government’s policy toward China.  This article by Caitlin Johnstone summarizes the issues at stake here and links to documents referenced above.

Moreover, the People’s Music Network stands with The People's Forum, which has provided PMN with a beautiful and accessible event space, nutritious meals, and a supportive technical staff for four major events in October 2019, January 2020, October 2022 and February 2023.

TPF has helped enable our membership to foster a welcoming and open community where members have engaged in open political dialog and collaborative musical performances that address today's urgent social justice struggles.  When friends in the movement who support us in pursuing our mission come under such scurrilous attack by such a powerful media organization, we stand proudly with them.

- PMN Steering Committee

August 22, 2023

On February 5, 2023, People's Music Network and Music to Life co-hosted a special showcase called "Songs of Hope and Change."  The live event was the closing showcase at the Folk Alliance International Conference in Kansas City.  

The video includes performances by social justice artists from all over the world including: Rebecca Folsom, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Seth Walker, Phyllis Sinclair, Chuck McDermott, Ben Grosscup, Kamica King, Robinson & Rohe, Ernest Aines, Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light, Siena Christie, Ken Whiteley, Brant Miller, Savannah Brister, and Luci Murphy.

On March 11, Northern Spirit Radio producer, Mark Helpsmeet, created an  hour-long radio program presenting a sampling of songs from the PMN  Winter Hybrid Convergence in NYC from February 10-12, 2023.   His  syndicated program regularly features music of peace and social justice.  Check out the episode program here:  https://www.northernspiritradio.org/song-soul/peoples-convergence-warming-winter