From here in New Castle, to the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan, to the Top of the Standard in Los Angeles, and to Lola’s Trailer Park in Fort Worth, Texas, musicians are banding together for The Concert Across America to End Gun Violence on Sunday, Sept. 25th.
- At Chappaqua’s First Congregational Church, Dave Bickler will be singing, Keith Robellard, Minister of Music at FCC will be playing, and other special guests will be performing and speaking. The concert, which is being co-sponsored by the FCC and the Upper Westchester Muslim Society, is free and open to the public. It will take place at 4 p.m. at FCC, 210 Orchard Ridge Road.
- Producers of the main event at the Beacon Theatre include: Live Nation New York; Jerry Foley, former director of “The Late Show with David Letterman”; John Rosenthal of SHV, and Donna Dees-Thomases, the founder of the Million Mom March, Mother’s Day 2000–still the largest protest against gun violence in U.S. history.
- Woodlands Community Temple in White Plains will host a participatory “Sing-In” from 4 p.m.-6 pm. Folk and contemporary song will be led by Cantors Ellen Dreskin and Jonathan Gordon, and other favorite singers: Kenny Green, Adam Hart, Ira and Julia Levin, Jenny Murphy and more. Free and open to the public. RSVP to wct.org/concertacrossamerica.
“I’m inspired by the organizers for the Chappaqua concert, whose hard work has made the message from the Lower Hudson Valley loud and clear: we cannot wait one more day for commonsense gun safety measures that are supported by the vast majority of Americans. I will continue fighting in Congress to keep our families and communities safe. And together, we will win this fight.” –Congresswoman Nita Lowey
Spearheaded by Massachusetts-based Stop Handgun Violence (SHV), Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence, and dozens of other organizations committed to reducing gun violence, the concerts will feature a diverse array of artists performing at venues ranging from churches and school gymnasiums to honky-tonks and hotel rooftops. Artists are asked to perform at least one song that gives voice to the more than five million Americans who’ve been murdered by a firearm since the mass shooting at the University of Texas on Aug. 1, 1966.
Artists with pre-existing commitments can still participate with a social media shout-out on their own Facebook fan pages and on their Twitter accounts using hashtags, #ConcertAcrossAmerica to #EndGunViolence.
