Solidarity Sing Along
| Date | |
|---|---|
| Location | Wisconsin State Capitol, Madison, Wisconsin |
| Type | Protest sing-along |
The Solidarity Sing Along is a weekday protest sing-along held at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin. The Associated Press linked the Sing Along to the 2011 protests opposing Wisconsin Act 10.[1] The Woody Guthrie Center describes the Sing Along as a noon-hour weekday event and lists archival materials dated from 2011 to 2019.[2] Wisconsin Public Radio and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on enforcement of Capitol permit rules in connection with the Sing Along.[3][4]
Background
According to the Woody Guthrie Center collection guide, the Solidarity Sing Along emerged during protests at the Wisconsin State Capitol in early 2011 related to the Act 10 debate.[2] The Associated Press described the Sing Along as part of protest activity that continued at the Capitol after large demonstrations declined.[1]
History
Origins (2011)
The Woody Guthrie Center collection states that the first Solidarity Sing Along was held on March 11, 2011.[2] The collection guide identifies Steve Burns, a community college teacher and activist, as the organizer of the initial sing-along, which was originally planned as a short series but continued as a regular weekday event.[2]
Continuation (2011–2012)
The Associated Press reported that the Sing Along continued on weekdays during the noon hour after the peak of the 2011 protests.[1] The Associated Press described participants gathering inside the Capitol rotunda to sing protest songs, often using printed songbooks.[1] In 2012, The Capital Times reported increased attention from Capitol Police toward frequent participants in the Sing Along.[5]
Permit enforcement and citations (2012–2014)
Beginning in 2012, multiple outlets reported on enforcement of Capitol permit rules in connection with the Sing Along.[3][4] Wisconsin Public Radio reported that Capitol Police leadership described targeting individuals it identified as organizers or leaders of the daily singing.[3]
The Capital Times reported that police issued citations related to participation in unpermitted singing events, including citations delivered to participants’ homes.[5][6] In 2013, The Capital Times and Isthmus reported that many citations were dismissed in court, while prosecutors continued to pursue other cases.[7][8] Channel3000 reported that numerous defendants requested jury trials in connection with the citations.[9]
Court rulings (2013–2015)
In July 2013, The Capital Times reported that a federal judge ruled the Capitol permit policy unconstitutional as applied to gatherings of fewer than 20 people.[10]
In January 2015, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals ruled that requiring a permit for participation in or observation of an unpermitted Solidarity Sing Along inside the Capitol violated the First Amendment.[11] The ruling was reported by Wisconsin Public Radio, the Associated Press, and CBS58.[11][12][13] The decision is published as State of Wisconsin v. Crute, 2015 WI App 15 by the Wisconsin Court System.[14]
Songs and materials
The Associated Press described the Sing Along as a group event in which participants sang together using shared songbooks.[1] The Woody Guthrie Center collection includes songbooks, audio recordings, and video materials documenting the Sing Along and identifies songs drawn from U.S. labor and civil rights traditions.[2] A 2014 Smithsonian Folkways Magazine article described the adaptation of older labor and protest songs for use in the Wisconsin context.[15] A Smithsonian Folkways songbook PDF reproduces lyrics used during the Sing Along and includes the text of Article I, Section 4 of the Constitution of Wisconsin.[16]
Archival record
The Woody Guthrie Center lists the Solidarity Sing Along Collection under collection number 2023-004 and states that it contains songbooks, audiovisual recordings, and participant-produced materials dating from 2011 to 2019.[2]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Ramde, Dinesh (November 24, 2012). "Capitol singers continue long Wisconsin tradition of protest". Associated Press. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "Solidarity Sing Along Collection". Woody Guthrie Center. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Johnson, Shawn (September 14, 2012). "Capitol Police Chief Targets Protest Leaders". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Stein, Jason (August 27, 2012). "Frequent Capitol protesters face crackdown". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Elbow, Steven (October 18, 2012). "Crime and Courts: Capitol police turning up the heat on singalong leaders". The Capital Times. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
- ↑ Elbow, Steven (September 11, 2012). "Crime and Courts: Police change tactics, begin to cite protesters at their homes". The Capital Times. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
- ↑ Elbow, Steven (January 22, 2013). "Court ruling could mean sing-along participants get a break". The Capital Times. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
- ↑ Davidoff, Judith (March 21, 2013). "More Wisconsin Capitol protest tickets dismissed but state prosecutors forge on". Isthmus. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
- ↑ "Some Capitol singers request jury trials". Channel3000. August 12, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
- ↑ Elbow, Steven (July 9, 2013). "Judge rules Capitol permit policy unconstitutional for groups under 20". The Capital Times. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Halsted, Gilman (January 29, 2015). "Appeals Court Rules That Requiring Permit For Solidarity Singers Was Unconstitutional". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ↑ "State Capitol protest permits ruled unconstitutional". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Associated Press. January 29, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
- ↑ CBS58 Staff (January 30, 2015). "Court ruling favors Capitol singers". CBS58. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
- ↑ "State of Wisconsin v. Crute, 2015 WI App 15 (Wisconsin Court of Appeals)" (PDF). Wisconsin Court System. January 29, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
- ↑ O’Brien, Michael S. (Summer–Fall 2014). "Wisconsin's Solidarity Sing Along: Making Old Labor Songs New". Smithsonian Folkways Magazine. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ↑ "Solidarity Sing Along songbook (PDF)" (PDF). Smithsonian Folkways. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
This article "Solidarity Sing Along" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Solidarity Sing Along. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
