Recommendations of the Editorial team
Joan Baez said goodbye to her in 2019 “Fare Thee Well”tour by their fans. She then retreated to her home south of San Fransciso, painting and writing poetry, but a committed activist remains a committed activist and has appeared at a number of anti-Trump and pro-democracy events in recent months. Her voice is no longer as bright as it once was, but her message is unmistakable.
In a major ROLLING STONE interview last year, she shared her experiences from her more than six decades-long fight for human rights and democracy and calls on the young generation to continue the fight: “There will be small victories, hold on to them and keep going, then you’ll see what develops. I’m really for just keeping going and not expecting the world to change. Just take your time, get up, be present.”
These days, having fun can even be an act of resistance, Baez continued. “Action is the best antidote to despair. We should actually hunker down. I was at my granddaughter’s prom in Miami and ended up dancing with drag queens. I thought, OK, that’s what we do. You go crazy. Drink a lot. I was in a strip club. That was my statement for the week. Dancing with a big, lascivious drag queen and posting that. It’s good to dance with drag queens because they want to abolish the drag scene. I’m sure “I’m sure Trump would like to get rid of me, but I hope that if it comes to that, I’ll have earned it.”