Born: 9 January 1941, United States
Died: NA
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA
The following is republished from the Library of Congress. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
Folk singer and social rights activist, Joan Baez has used her voice to advance social change. Since 1960, Baez has recorded and performed multilingual songs of protest and social justice, marched with iconic civil rights activists, and established several human rights nonprofits. During the Civil Rights Movement, Baez joined Martin Luther King Jr. in the March to Washington and sang “We Shall Overcome” in front of a crowd of more than 300,000 people. Baez marched numerous times with César Chávez, demanding fair wages and better working conditions for farmworkers. In 1981, Baez toured Chile, Brazil, and Argentina to investigate human right abuses. In 2014, The Library of Congress added Baez’ 1960 debut album “Joan Baez” to the National Recording Registry.