Woody Guthrie

Last Saturday, I went to this event "Woody Guthrie's Los Angeles: A Centenary Celebration" not knowing what to expect. It was a day-long conference with panelist speakers and musical performances, commemorating Woody Guthrie's 100th year of existence. Well, at least his legacy. This event taught me the difference one man made to many people's lives, through something so innocent such as music and art. Woody's political songs and drawings no doubt inspired many.

I learned of Woody's upbringing, from Oklahoma to his travels to and fro Los Angeles, and how these experiences had shaped his perception of race. He arrived in Los Angeles in 1937 like many other immigrants, flooding the city's population with outside influences. There, he was raised in a culture of white supremacy, and thus was a part of the racial hate.

He changed his mind later though, to one of racial acceptance, performing protest songs on the KFVD Radio Station in California. Hearing the songs he sang and the drawings he did, it was moving. He created these masterpieces about the current issues which he felt strongly for. One example would be his drawing Amarillo Dust Clouds, which portrayed the dust storms during the 1930s, which severely affected the agriculture in America, and thus the livelihood of many.

At the event, I found out the extent of Woody's work and his influence, for most of the audience were loyal fans of his. They knew the words to his song, felt great passion in the speeches panelists made about their beloved idol, and appreciated his work while he was around. Now, I can safely say that I feel the same appreciation as them too.