Quick Take
A new grassroots movement called the Singing Resistance emerged Saturday at Santa Cruz’s third "No Kings" rally. It’s part of a national trend, spawned from protests in Minneapolis.
Clad in all white and a red scarf, local singer-songwriter and performer Heather Houston stood on Dakota Avenue among a throng of demonstrators belting “Hold On” by Heidi Wilson into a microphone Saturday, setting a potent soundtrack to the third “No Kings” rally in Santa Cruz.
“Hold on, hold on my dear ones, here comes the dawn,” she sang.
“Sing it for those who are afraid,” Houston told the crowd in between lyrics. “Sing it for those who are oppressed.” Many demonstrators followed suit, echoing her acoustic melody with a layer of harmony.
Houston, along with the senior minister of Santa Cruz’s Center for Spiritual Living, Elisha Christopher, and local music educator Aileen Vance, led the newly minted Santa Cruz chapter of the Singing Resistance through the procession of Saturday’s march.
The Singing Resistance movement was conceived in Minneapolis in response to the torrent of federal immigration enforcement activity that resulted in the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in January. Houston, Christopher and Vance had a vision for bringing the grassroots movement to Santa Cruz.
Starting just within the last month, Christopher said around 200 people came to the Santa Cruz Singing Resistance’s first song learning gathering on March 15, and that Friday’s rehearsal — the night before Saturday’s march — brought more than 200. Most of those present at the rehearsal attended the march, showing their affiliation with the Singing Resistance by sporting all-white attire with red and turquoise accents.
“Singing is a unifying force,” said Houston. “When our voices come together towards one vision, towards inviting people to come sing with us or to resist with us, it raises the spirit and it unifies us.”
Members of the Singing Resistance, made up mostly of women over 40, caroled throughout the entire procession Saturday, looping the song list after each run-through. A majority of the songs, like “We Are Not Afraid” by Lu Aya of the Peace Poets and “It’s Okay to Change Your Mind” by Annie Schlaefer, originated directly from the Singing Resistance in Minneapolis and were quickly popularized by protesters nationwide. Houston sprinkled a couple of original songs throughout the queue, serenading the march with her songs “Rising Strong” and “Tending the Spark.”
Several demonstrators blended hand drums and cowbells with Houston’s amplified voice, while others joined hands and danced as the march processed toward Pacific Avenue. The Singing Resistance was a part of just one of the many clusters of demonstrators that flooded the streets of Santa Cruz on Saturday.
Both Houston and Christopher referenced the “ripple effect” of singing, describing the act of singing as a vibrational force that collectively “drops people into their hearts,” said Houston.
“I really believe that there’s a big wave of change coming, and having millions of people across the country singing the same songs on the same day feels so impactful,” said Christopher. “I’m looking forward to seeing it continue.”
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