Dear Friend,
We hope that this letter finds you well and sheltering comfortably. The course that events that have taken since early this March has shaken all of our routines and expectations. There isn’t an aspect of our national lives that hasn’t had its weaknesses and shortcomings exposed, and there isn’t a fiber of our personal faith that hasn’t been tested by adversity. We have never been more in need of simple songs, of reasons to believe, of hands to hold.
Folk New England has continued for years to keep the faith in better days to come. Throughout generations, our volunteers have collected and preserved coffeehouse tapes, old records, photographs, magazines, memories, and ephemera about our oldest folk cultures. Through the generosity of friends like Jim Rooney, Jim Kweskin, Dayle Stanley, and others, we have been able to compile a permanent record of the songs of New England’s folk music roots and revivals. A little more than a month ago, we were grateful to receive the gift of Tom Rush’s collection, which has now joined our archive at the University of Massachusetts as permanent testimony to the power of traditional music.
In our youths, we were all touched with the fire of songs that helped tip the balance of events in favor of humanity. We are here, not only to preserve the music we love, but we are also keeping alive a commitment to the idea of a better and a more just world ahead. The arc of justice is long, as Dr. King reminded us years ago, and our need for inspiration is never-ending.
We need your help to keep the lamps of traditional music trimmed and burning and to keep all the old songs alive for all the new generations. Through your generosity today, this work will endure into the future.
Please click on the “Donate” button to help out.
Thank you for your consideration, and please stay well and be safe!
Betsy Siggins Founder
Tom Curren Chair
Brian Quinn Director