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Artists and activists will commemorate the 25th anniversary of Roe v. Wade later this month with rock concerts in Dallas and Washington, D.C. |
Shawn Colvin, Nanci Griffith, Indigo Girls, Jackson Browne, Rodney Crowell and Graham Nash will perform at one or both of the acoustic concerts celebrating the Supreme Court decision that decriminalized abortion in the United States. The artists will take the stage on April 23 at the Majestic Theatre in Dallas and on April 25 at the Lincoln Theatre in Washington, D.C., with pro-choice and women's rights activist Gloria Steinem playing host.
Proceeds from the double concert, which is dedicated to the memory of longtime pro-choice agitator Bella Abzug, will benefit pro-choice candidates and get-out-the-vote campaigns in the 1998 elections, said Amy Buston of Voters For Choice, the organization behind the dual concert event.
The nation's largest independent pro-choice political action committee, Voters For Choice forged the concert idea eight years ago in order to increase awareness about reproductive freedom, Buston said.
"This concert will get the word out," said Steinem, who is also president of Voters For Choice. "There is no better way to fight for reproductive freedom than by raising your voice -- and casting your vote -- for choice. We must put Congress back in the hands of the people who represent the pro-choice majority in America."
Past benefit shows have featured artists such as Pearl Jam, L7, Neil Young, Natalie Merchant, Melissa Etheridge and Griffith, who is making a return performance this year -- likely with her politically-charged song, "Time of Inconvenience."
"I believe it is every woman's right to decide and act upon her
own conscience in what is perhaps the most compelling question of
our time," said classic singer/songwriter Jackson Browne, who was
added to the line-up last week. (Anni Layne)