Readers Write: Revisit Pete Seeger’s legacy on his 100th birthday

The Island Now

Now, once again, “we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether this nation or any other nation can long endure.”

In the struggle for civil rights, we must never forget the basic ideology on which this country was founded.

We cannot depend on any political party, for both have betrayed the moral force of justice, freedom and decency.

On May 3, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Pete Seeger, the renowned folk singer, activist and humanitarian.

Think of his life, and his legacy, as we reflect on what we are for and what we are against.

Think of the Mississippi Freedom Riders, the protests against the war in Vietnam, the student demonstrations, Kent State, the assassinations of President Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, Medgar Evers and Martin Luther King, the fight for civil rights, the marches, the fight for women’s rights, for equality and the many voices of resistance.

Then think of where we are now.

Were all these struggles and sacrifices for nothing?

Every generation must be free to act for itself, but guided by or influenced by the generation which preceded it and the generations which will follow.

Myra Feder

Great Neck

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