Pete Seeger is a crusader for Peace and Social Justice and has been over the course of his 87year lifetime. As a prominent musician his songs and performance style have worked to engage other people, particularly the youth, in causes to end the Vietnam war, ban nuclear weapons, work for international solidarity, and ecological responsibility. It is time that cultural work receives the recognition that the arts have great influence and global reach, that it is not only a medium of entertainment but of education, compassion and fraternity. There is no more quintessential cultural worker than Pete Seeger.

Of course Pete has never been alone in this work. He is the first to affirm that. But his unique sense of purpose, decency, and ability, and the support of, his wife Toshi, and his family gave him the opportunity to be all that he could be. He is a role model and a guiding spirit; we can be influential in getting him nominated for the honor he deserves.

Pete has supported almost every peace organization in the United States, indeed internationally, through fundraising concerts, endorsement of activities, and personal participation. The justification for this acknowledgment is in the very fabric of progressive culture. Every one of us can think of myriad reasons why our consciousness of the issues of world peace, social justice and cultural sensitivity, plus the performance skills to involve other people, had something to do with Pete. The extended circle of singers, folk and folksy, topical, political, and sentimental songwriters, in someway owes a debt to Pete Seeger.

As cultural workers we know the power of the arts, we also know how difficult it is to gain recognition for cultural creation. Pete Seeger has gained recognition without compromise! Carl Sandburg called Seeger "the living embodiment of America's traditions...." When Pete was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 they said, “Pete Seeger’s contribution to folk music, both in terms of its revival and survival, cannot be overstated.” Pete was also honored by the Kennedy Center with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994. In 2001 they again paid tribute to Pete Seeger with a cross generational presentation. The program featured friends and family including Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, grandson of Pete Seeger, and Sarah Lee Guthrie, granddaughter of Woody Guthrie." They described Pete as being, "Instrumental in popularizing the indigenous American song, his own compositions - among them 'If I Had a Hammer,' 'We Shall Overcome,' and 'Where Have All the Flowers Gone' (and 'The Big Muddy’) have served as anthems for an entire generation.

It is important to honor our forbears; we all stand on Pete Seeger's shoulders in a manner of speaking. We have an opportunity to acknowledge him a "father" of a cultural, social, and political movement, which enriched us all and in which we all share, as much as we share our paternal DNA.

I posted a petition on a site named petitionthem.com. The aim is to show grassroots support to the American Friends Service Committee to nominate Pete Seeger for the Nobel Peace Prize. I know there are many people interested in adding support. I'm asking everyone to circulate the petition information to at least 5 other people asking them to notify 5-10 other people. To read about and sign the petition go to:

www.petitionthem.com/default.asp