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Desapariciones
Forced disappearances were a key tactic of various dictatorships of the Americas. The song follows the story of a man and woman, ordinary people who have disappeared, and the fight their family engages in to try and locate them. The final stanza…
Dixie
Officially written by a Northerner, this song was rewritten by Southerners and Northerners to support varied agendas. “Dixie” is symbolic of the Lost Cause of the Old South and Southern resistance to the Civil Rights Movement.
El costo de la vida
This song describes the Dominican Republic’s social, political and economic situation. It can be used to discuss issues of social justice, poverty, social class and racial disparities, political corruption and foreign influence.
El derecho de vivir en paz
Translated as "The Right to Live in Peace", this song was originally written as a tribute to Ho Chi Minh and talked about the destruction brought forth by the Vietnam War. It wasn't uncommon for the genre's artists to talk about injustice outside of…
El Padre Antonio y el Monaguillo Andrés
The song describes the assassination of a popular village priest and altar boy, indirectly referencing the assassination of Bishop Óscar Arnulfo Romero, major figurehead of Liberation Theology. Romero's preaching of liberation theology sought to…
El pueblo unido jamás será vencido
This song could be used to introduce students to the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, the removal of a socialist president, Salvador Allende, and the installment of a U.S. backed military junta government led by General Augusto Pinochet. The name of the…
I'll see you in C-U-B-A
This song may be used to show U.S. perceptions of Cuba as a pleasure spot for tourists during the Republican Period.
In the Pines
Many of those living in the Appalachians can trace their heritage back to England and Scotland, where they have a longstanding folk song tradition. As the song has no definitive author/s, several versions of this song exist as it was common to alter…
John Henry [Belafonte]
This song can be used to teach about the Reconstruction-era South racism and the dangerous working conditions found in the building of U.S. railroads. John Henry is an African-American folk hero from Virginia who, according to legend, was victorious…
John Henry [Bell]
This song can be used to teach about the Reconstruction-era South racism and the dangerous working conditions found in the building of U.S. railroads. John Henry is an African-American folk hero from Virginia who, according to legend, was victorious…