Rebecca Jones, MD

Songs can connect our hearts in a way that our iThings cannot

Pete Seeger, 94, died on Jan. 27. His passing has been on my mind since then, but his songs and his legacy had been in my thoughts even before he died.

Our country is facing human rights crises - in health care, income equality, racism, and climate change - and Seeger in his last years was still singing about these issues.

Some of my earliest memories are of singing protest songs. I was born in 1963 and grew up in Lexington, Mass. My parents were both active in the Civil Rights Movement and, by the time the Vietnam War protests were heating up, I was old enough to participate in the gatherings, which included songs about freedom, justice, the environment, and peace.

Music was recycled from the Labor and Civil Rights movements. The songs made me think of open skies, green rolling hills, happy children, strength, hope, and unity.

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Witnessing people power in action

A trip to Washington for Obama’s second inauguration offers a glimpse into a better future for our nation

I am sitting at the airport, about to head home from the the 56th presidential inauguration; overhead, they are “paging the person who just lost their iPhone.” I hear people walking by, talking about Obama. A tote bag with those big ears declares “forward.” It feels like everyone in...

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