Since today is both National Voter Registration Day and the sixth anniversary of her daughter Jesse Paris Smith's climate change charity, Pathway to Paris, legendary "punk poet laureate" Patti Smith has invited some friends to join her on a beloved anthem.
"People Have the Power" first appeared on Smith's 1998 album Dream of Life and still packs a potent, motivational punch-- especially with the addition of friends like R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, Joan Baez, Ben Harper, Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cyndi Lauper, Angelique Kidjo, and more.
Jesse Paris Smith said in a statement:
"The current pandemic surrounding Covid-19 has shown moments and threads of hope and optimism, but it also has shown just how fractured the communication of our planet remains. This same frustration has been experienced for decades with the climate crisis and just about any unifying global issue of great urgency. We struggle to adapt and survive based on the information we are given and the immense lack of alignment in our decision making. There couldn’t be a more urgent time for the country and the planet to unify as one collective force, and yet we see more examples of the failure of this concept to take hold. Our current reality is one of immense suffering and a promise of continued disaster if we do not get together on our agreements, set more ambitious goals and make drastic plans for change today."
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