Public Enemy joins "United We Stand" Festival
Los Angeles, Ca. (PRWEB) July 18, 2013 -- Free & Equal Elections (http://www.FreeAndEqual.org) announces the addition of Public Enemy to the rapidly growing lineup of performers in the United We Stand Festival, to be held at UCLA this October. The event will feature a mix of musical performances and speeches by political leaders and activists including Green Party Presidential candidate Jill Stein, former Governors Jesse Ventura and Gary Johnson, media personalities Ben Swann, Abby Martin, Josh Tolley, Amber Lyon, southern rockers Saving Abel, and indie rock quartet Golden State. Additional bands, authors and speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.
Public Enemy is widely recognized as one of the most politically active and influential groups in contemporary music. "When you look at the whole of what Public Enemy is about, their history of activism in support of freedom and equality, they really have paved the way for what we are trying to accomplish," said Christina Tobin, President and CEO of Free and Equal, Inc. "I couldn't imagine kicking off this movement without acknowledging their contributions, so we are just ecstatic that they are lending their talent and voices to the cause."
Delivering socio-political messages that give voice to those who have long been ignored, unafraid to question institutional injustices, and challenging both leaders and citizens alike to work for change, Public Enemy have spent their 25 year career doing so with an intensity, eloquence and depth that few can match. The group released their debut single, “Public Enemy #1,” in 1987 which was followed by their universally acclaimed album Yo! Bum Rush The Show. Since then, Public Enemy has performed over 2000 concerts in 84 countries during 85 tours and released albums that have been hailed by critics around the world and have sold millions of copies. Their songs are archived in the Library of Congress, are among the “25 Most Significant Albums of the Last Century” according to the New York Times and have landed on ‘best-of’ lists by the Village Voice, Rolling Stone, Spin, Mojo and countless others. In 2012, Public Enemy celebrated their 25th anniversary by releasing a pair of critically acclaimed albums, reaching the Top 5 on the UK charts for the first time in their career, and in early 2013 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Free & Equal Elections Foundations (formerly Foundation for Free Campaigns and Elections) was organized in October of 1982 and reorganized by Christina Tobin, an American activist and leader in the election reform and voters’ rights movements, in 2008. Free & Equal is dedicated to creating open and transparent elections that give power back to the individual voter. The non-profit organization strives to create a system in which all citizens are equal in their ability to participate, breaking the stranglehold of the two-party system and reforming the United States electoral process.
Free & Equal believes that all ballot-qualified candidates should have the opportunity to participate in debates and has hosted presidential debates in 2012 and in 2008, the only presidential debates featuring independent and third party candidates to be broadcast live to a nationwide audience. In 2012, Free & Equal hosted an open presidential debate moderated by broadcast journalist Larry King. A second debate was held on the eve of Election Day in Washington, D.C. In the time leading up to the debates, Free & Equal trended in the Top 10 on Twitter. The debates were broadcast worldwide on C-SPAN, MSNBC, CNN Radio, RT America, Al Jazeera, as well as live on OraTV, YouTube, and the Free & Equal website with an estimated viewing audience of 20 million, bringing attention to issues facing our country including foreign policy, the economy, and civil rights.
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For further information on Free & Equal Elections and the United We Stand Festival, please contact:
Marci Forgrave
Free & Equal Elections Foundation
(877) 300-4449
marci(at)freeandequal(dot)org
For further information on Public Enemy, please contact:
Jolyn Matsumuro
The Brookes Company
(310) 558-3000 x202
jolyn(at)brookescompany(dot)com
Marci Forgave, Free & Equal Elections Foundation, http://freeandequal.org/, 818-259-4934, [email protected]
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