Solidarity Sing Along Collection

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Solidarity Sing Along Collection

Below is the finding aid that contextualizes and inventories this special collection at the Woody Guthrie Center Archives. Interested researchers must fill out an application prior to scheduling an appointment with the archivist.

Collection Title: 

Solidarity Sing Along Collection 

Collection Number: 

2023-004 

Collection Processed By: 

Stephanie Stewart 

Collection Guide Prepared By: 

Mark Davidson and Stephanie Stewart 

Collection Date Range: 

2011–2019 

Collection Extent: 

0.21 linear feet [1 slim document box] 

Collection Provenance: 

Ellie Connolly (Solidarity Sing Along participant) 

Historical Background: 

The Solidarity Sing Along is a grassroots protest event that emerged during the 2011 Wisconsin protests, also known as the Wisconsin Uprising. The protests were in opposition to Governor Scott Walker’s 2011 budget repair bill (Wisconsin Act 10). The bill aimed to limit collective bargaining rights for public employees, rights that had been in effect since 1959. Starting in February 2011, over 100,000 demonstrators gathered at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison to oppose the bill. 

While general protests declined after June 2011, the Solidarity Sing Along maintained an active presence at the State Capitol during the remainder of 2011 and for many years after. Deemed the longest running singing protest in history, the first sing along was held on March 11, 2011 and was organized by Steve Burns, a local community college teacher and an activist with the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice. Though originally planned as a weeklong series of events coinciding with Burns’s spring break, the popularity of the sing along created enough momentum to continue well past week’s end. When Steve Burns returned to teaching the following week, R. Chris Reeder, a local actor and stage technician, helped organize the event.  

The singing became a symbol of the resistance against the controversial legislation. The songs often included well-known protest songs with modified lyrics that conveyed messages of unity, resistance, and opposition to the policies proposed by the government. The songs were drawn largely from the American labor and civil rights movements and included “We Shall Overcome,” “Keep Your Eyes On the Prize,” “If I Had a Hammer,” and Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” with updated lyrics relevant to the Wisconsin protests. 

The Solidarity Sing Along was not only a form of peaceful protest but also a way for people to come together, build community, and express their dissent creatively. Over time, the tradition has continued, and, as of 2021, people were still gathering every weekday at the State Capitol to sing.  

Scope and Contents: 

The Solidarity Sing Along Collection includes original songbooks, CDs featuring live recordings of participants singing, DVDs with amateur video of sing along events, and books tracing the history and evolution of the Solidarity Sing Along, edited and published by sing along participants.  

Related Materials: 

Solidarity Sing Along photographs, Wisconsin Historical Society 

Language of Materials: 

English  

Collection Access Restrictions: 

The collection is open for research, pending approval of a research application

Collection Use Restrictions: 

Copyright is retained by the creators of materials in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law. 

Series 1: Songbooks

Box
Folder
Series
Item Date
Item Description
B01F01SongbooksundatedSolidarity Sing Along songbook, Live At the People’s House, Madison, Wisconsin, Monday–Friday, Noon–1pm [green book; includes song credits]
B01F01 Songbooks2016 MarchSolidarity Sing Along songbook, Live At the People’s House, Madison, Wisconsin, Monday–Friday, Noon–1pm, 48 songs, Revised March 2016 [blue book; includes song credits]
B01F01 Songbooks2019 MarchSolidarity Sing Along songbook, Live At the People’s House, Madison, Wisconsin, Monday–Friday, Noon–1pm, 36 songs, Revised March 2019 [yellow book; includes song credits]

Series 2: Audiovisual Materials

BoxFolderSeriesItem DateItem Description
B01F02Audiovisual MaterialsundatedAudio CD: Solidarity Sing Along, This Is What Democracy Sounds Like (51:02)
01. Wisconsin State Constitution
02. This Land Is Your Land
03. We Shall Overcome
04. There Is Power In The Union
05. Whose House (Chant)
06. Keep Your Eyes On The Prize
07. Bring Back Wisconsin To Me
08. Union Maid
09. What’s Disgusting? (Chant)
10. Solidarity Forever (Gospel Version)
11. Roll The Union On
12. Singing For Our Lives
13. I Don’t Want Your Millions
14. One Year Longer, One Year Stronger (Chant)
15. Which Side Are You On
16. Scotty We’re Coming For You
17. Watch Him Stew
18. Show Me What Democracy Looks Like (Chant)
19. Solidarity
20. Roll Out The Recall
21. Solidarity Forever
B01F02Audiovisual MaterialsundatedAudio CD: Solidarity Sing Along, Live From The Capitol Rotunda (59:09)
01. We Shall Overcome
02. This Land Is Your Land
03. Which Side Are You On?
04. Down At The Singalong
05. Union Maid
06. Keep Your Eyes On The Prize
07. If I Had A Hammer
08. When We Make Peace
09. I Don’t Want Your Millions, Mister
10. Have You Been To Jail For Justice?
11. Shouted: Right Of Assembly From Wis. State Constitution
12. Will The Circle Be Unbroken?
13. Bring Back Wisconsin To Me
14. We’re Note Going Away
15. Singing For Our Lives
16. We Shall Not Be Moved
17. O, Wisconsin Don’t You Weep, Don’t Mourn
18. Oh, Freedom
19. Solidarity Forever
20. We’re Still Here
B01F02Audiovisual Materials2011 November 25–2013 December 31Video DVD: Solidarity Sing Along Home Movies (01:57:00)
01. I’m Stickin With The Union, 2011 November 25
02. The 12 Days Of Christmas, 2011 December 23
03. Solidarity Forever, 2011 December 26
04. Scotty Where [sic] Coming For You, 2012 January 2
05. We Shall Not Be Moved, 2012 April 30
06. Roll The Union On, 2012 May 1
07. Oh Scott Walker, 2012 May 2
08. Roll Out The Recall, 2012 May 2
09. There Is Power In A Union, 2012 May 4
10. I Don’t Want Your Millions Mister, 2012 May 4
11. This Land Is Your Land, 2012 May 28
12. Which Side Are You On, 2012 June 4
13. Bring Back Wisconsin To Me, 2012 June 4
14. When We Make Peace, 2012 June 5
15. If I Had A Hammer, 2012 June 5
16. Down At The Sing Along, 2012 June 5
17. 14 Senators, 2012 June 5
18. We Shall Overcome, 2012 June 5
19. It Isn’t Nice, 2012 June 7
20. The Koch Song, 2012 June 7
21. We Flipped The Senate, 2012 June 7
22. Watch Him Stew, 2012 June 8
23. The Fiddler, 2012 June 8
24. Hold The Fort, 2012 July 6
25. Made Of Marble, 2012 July 6
26. Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around, 2012 August 7
27. Joe Hill, 2012 August 8
28. On Wisconsin, 2012 August 10
29. The International, 2012 August 10
30. Have You Been To Jail For Justice, 2012 August 10
31. Move On Over, 2012 September 3
32. We’re Not Goin’ Away, 2012 September 3
33. For What It’s Worth, 2012 October 12
34. Oh Freedom, 2012 November 6
35. O, Wisconsin Don’t Weep, Don’t You Mourn, 2013 January 26
36. We Shall Not Be Mined, 2013 January 26
37. Will The Circle Be Unbroken, 2013 November 29
38. Forward Together, 2013 December 31 
B01F02Audiovisual Materials2011 November 25–2012 November 10Video DVD: Solidarity Sing Along Home Movies (01:58:00)
01. I’m Stickin With The Union, 2011 November 25
02. The 12 Days Of Christmas, 2011 December 23
03. Solidarity Forever, 2011 December 26
04. Scotty Where [sic] Coming For You, 2012 January 2
05. We Shall Not Be Moved, 2012 April 30
06. Roll The Union On, 2012 May 1
07. Oh Scott Walker, 2012 May 2
08. Roll Out The Recall, 2012 May 2
09. Solidarity Forever, 2012 May 3
10. There Is Power In A Union, 2012 May 4
11. I Don’t Want Your Millions Mister, 2012 May 4
12. This Land Is Your Land, 2012 May 28
13. Solidarity Forever, 2012 May 28
14. Which Side Are You On, 2012 June 4
15. Bring Back Wisconsin To Me, 2012 June 4
16. When We Make Peace, 2012 June 5
17. If I Had A Hammer, 2012 June 5
18. Down At The Sing Along, 2012 June 5
19. 14 Senators, 2012 June 5
20. We Shall Overcome, 2012 June 5
21. There Is Power In A Union, 2012 June 5
22. It Isn’t Nice, 2012 June 7
23. The Koch Song, 2012 June 7
24. The Preamble Of The WI Constitution, 2012 June 7
25. We Flipped The Senate, 2012 June 7
26. Watch Him Stew, 2012 June 8
27. The Fiddler, 2012 June 8
28. Hold The Fort, 2012 July 6
29. Made of Marble, 2012 July 6
30. Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around, 2012 August 7
31. Joe Hill, 2012 August 8
32. On Wisconsin, 2012 August 10
33. The International, 2012 August 10
34. Have You Been To Jail For Justice, 2012 August 10
35. Move On Over, 2012 September 3
36. We’re Not Goin’ Away, 2012 Septebmer 3
37. For What It’s Worth, 2012 October 12
38. Oh Freedom, 2012 November 6
39. Bring Back Wisconsin To Me, 2012 November 10

Series 3: Books

Box
Folder
Series
Item Date
Item Description
B01F03Books2013Unintimidated, Wisconsin Sings Truth To Power: The Inspiring Story Of The Solidarity Sing Along
Edited by Nicole Desautels, Sue Breckenridge, Michael Matheson, Bill Dunn, Ryan Wherley, Lisa Wells
B01F04Books2015We’re Still Here: Love In The Wisconsin Uprising
Photographs by Leslie Amsterdam Peterson
Foreward by John Nichols
Edited by Harriet Blair Rowan