Blog Post

Making Friends, Protesting Racism with Joanie

photo portrait of smiling light skinned woman with long grey, wavy hair holding her guitar up with the guitar's neck resting against the side of her face
photo portrait of smiling light skinned woman with long grey, wavy hair holding her guitar up with the guitar's neck resting against the side of her face

At Red Oak Community School, the Egrets, grade 3 – 5, were learning the History of Protest Music.  When most people think of protest songs, they usually think of songs that say “no” and highlight areas of human interaction that are not positive. I believe that sometimes the best protest songs are actually songs that emphasize “yes” by singing about positive human interactions and habits.

Here are two songs from China, in honor of Lunar New Year, about making friends and having fun.  A great way to protest xenophobia and racism is to intentionally make friends with someone who is from a different background than I am and might look different than me, or someone who is just different than me though they might look similar to me.

Want to get a Ukulele of your own? Joanie recommends these two options:

Mahalo Kahiko Series MK1 Soprano Ukulele

Mitchell MU40 Soprano Ukulele