Helen Plum Library presents Chris Vallillo’s ‘Oh Freedom!’ songs

Award-winning roots musician and folklorist Chris Vallillo will bring his show, “Oh Freedom! Songs of the Civil Rights Movement,” to the Helen Plum Library on Monday, Aug. 18.

The Civil Rights Movement has been described as one of the greatest singing movements that this country has experienced. From “We Shall Overcome” to “This Little Light of Mine,” music played a vital role in that historic struggle both as an inspirational rallying point and as a way to spread the message of equality and justice.

From the Freedom Riders, to the jails of Montgomery Alabama, and Parchman Prison, all the way to Washington, D.C., both old and new songs of the era spoke of the yearning for equal rights, the struggle and the determination to win freedom. They engaged and energized the movement and became the backbone of the nonviolent civil disobedience movement led by Martin Luther King and others. Music was a huge part of the process both locally and nationally.

In a show created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the civil rights movement, Vallillo performs pivotal songs from the music that inspired and sustained this landmark movement.

Intermixed with the music, Vallillo presents first hand accounts of the historic struggle and discusses the impact of music to our nation’s most important social cause.

It will begin at 1 p.m. at the library, 411 S. Main St. in Lombard. The show is part of the Senior Social program. It is free and open to the public. Folks are asked to register ahead of time and can do so at helenplum.org.

For more information about Chris Vallillo, visit chrisvallillo.com.