Protest Music of the 2010s

Throughout U.S. history, music has served as a soundtrack to transformative social and cultural movements. Songs like “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” “Lift every Voice and Sing,” and “We Shall Overcome” are linked to key events that inspired hope and change. Collectively, these songs are known as protest music. Protest music can act as a type of social commentary, expressing a wide range of emotions, and have a uniting element, calling leaders and groups to action for tangible results. At its core, protest music is a musician’s creative response to events happening in the world around them. The 2010s saw the rise of several social movements that initiated national conversations about perpetuated inequalities and injustice. This project will examine the music associated with these movements, the artist(s) who wrote the music, and the reception this music received. The goal of this project is to achieve a greater understanding of how American protest music has evolved in the 21st century