Creative Dialogues: Change of Heart March 9, 2009

Holly Near, singer, songwriter & activist

Singer, songwriter and activist Holly Near made her way through Hollywood and the bright lights of Broadway to embrace unusual opportunities outside the mainstream entertainment industry. Influenced by the civil rights and peace movements, she began to write songs with a global and feminist perspective and when her work proved unacceptable to record companies, she started her own independent record label. For nearly 40 years, she has traveled locally and internationally, learning to think critically within a cultural context, and improving her understanding of race, gender, and class through cultural collaboration- a witness to the power of music and the effect it has on community and public policy.

Official Website: http://claricesmithcenter.umd.edu/2009/c/performances/performance?rowid=8528