We Shall Overcome 2017: A Raised Fist And A Helping Hand

Two years have seen us take We Shall Overcome from an idea on a Facebook thread to an international anti-austerity campaign fighting for communities everywhere.

We have run upwards of 550 events now, in 135 different towns and cities across nine countries on three continents and the estimated £225,000 worth of food, cash, clothing, bedding and furniture raised has helped change lives up and down this country, it has got the homeless off the streets, it has rehoused young children living in slums and it has forged long-term bonds between musicians, poets, organisers and activists which have led to the movement changing, evolving and making the leap from protest/benefit gigs to feet on the ground 24/7 working in tandem with dozens of other campaigns to help the poorest and most vulnerable at the point of need.

Sadly though, if anything, we are needed now more than ever and it is in this spirit that I appeal to you all to rise again and start planting your red stars on our map.

We are running all year now, but the main focus of our work is the weekend of Friday 6th to Sunday 8th October. If you can bring your town to the party that would be fantastic.

Remember, We Shall Overcome is not about me or our committee or any individual in this group; We Shall Overcome is about us, ALL of us, and what can be achieved when we all pull together and add our single gigs into one massive festival. It is a celebration of community solidarity, and a demonstration of how incredible it is when a few thousand people all decide together they will be that someone somewhere who does something about it.

Please message me on joesolomusic@hotmail.co.uk or tag me in a post or comment on this thread if you are willing to come back for more or have confirmed dates we don't yet know about. It's vital we are able to paint some kind of picture as to what we have out there. We know only too well some of you will have changed circumstances and won't be able to join us; we also know some of you who were there in 2015 couldn't make last year but will return full on for #WSO2017. Old friends and new friends are all welcome here.

Come on folks. Roll up.

The world won't change itself.

Bring it on.