Communal singing has often been a driver of positive, justice-focused social change, from the history of protest songs in the US Labor Movement to the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa, from the Civil Rights Movement to the Baltic Singing Revolution. Yet just as often, music has been used to affirm and reinforce the status quo in ways that have been harmful and violent to many. Here at The Choral Commons, we wonder how we might harness the power of song across non-violent movements in order to build a road map for a just and equitable future for us all. 

We are delighted to continue this series in a conversation with Sage Crump. Sage is a culture strategist and facilitator who expands and deepens the work of cultural workers and arts organizations in social justice organizing. Sage is a member of Complex Movements, an artist collective that supports visionary organizing. Sage also holds the position of Chief Architect of Emergent Strategies Ideation institute. Her work incorporates complex science, emergent strategy, and creative practice, to imagine the world we want to live in and to build strategies and practices that will get us there.