Giving Back and Making A Difference

Are you tired of the struggle for money and fame?
You let vanity rule you, it will drive you insane
Right here in the garden, we have chosen to live
It’s not what we can get, my brother, my sister
It’s about what we can give

That verse from “Walk the Talk About Love,” from the 2001 album “Walk the Talk,” epitomizes what Jesse Colin Young has been talking about through song for the last 40 years. He’s a man whose actions and words live in harmony and who passionately devotes himself to positively changing his community.

"Nothing feels as good as giving, and when you have a gift you can give as easily as music, you are doubly blessed."

That spirit has been evident since the 1970’s, when Jesse co-founded the No Nukes Movement, a grass roots effort to derail the building of nuclear bombs and power plants.

After watching a show on public television one evening with his then young children Cheyenne and Julia, he became deeply distressed over the nightmare of disposing of radioactive waste. He called his friend, promoter Tom Campbell, and the No Nukes Movement was born.

Jesse played concerts from coast to coast, inspiring people of all ages to take up the fight to make the world a safer place. It all culminated in 1980 in New York City. Jesse played as part of a week-long event at Madison Square Garden with superstars like Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Ry Cooder, the Doobie Brothers and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Their efforts attracted the interest of music business luminary Danny Goldberg, who directed a feature film entitled “No Nukes.” It played in theatres across the country and around the world. An album of the same name was also released, with all proceeds going to the people in the communities who worked so hard to spread the word.

One of the highlights of Jesse’s career was, of course, a benefit performance. He sang “Get Together” to 250,000 fans in New York’s Battery Park. It was the largest anti-nuclear demonstration in the United States, and perhaps in the world. It was a feeling Jesse will never forget, one that validates his hands-on approach to giving back.

Even before No Nukes, Jesse found himself singing for change. In 1961, he did his first benefit show with Judy Collins and Richie Havens, to help West Virginia coal miners end their hunger strikes and secure a better union contract. He teamed up with Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt to save the Redwoods. He and Bonnie again played together to draw attention to the benefits of using solar energy. He’s turned up at parks, stadiums, prisons, colleges and Indian reservations to play in the name of social change.

Jesse joined forces with the Lakota Indians in the mid 70’s – collaborating with songwriter Floyd Westerman and the well-known activist poet John Trudell, to help preserve sacred traditions and to seek justice in clashes with the U.S. government. After reading the book “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,” Jesse felt a deep connection with Native Americans, and wanted to shed light on their true stories – in contrast to those often portrayed in American history books or on television.

He shared the bill with Jackson Browne and John Trudell on another occasion, this time assisting Woodstock legend Wavy Gravy and his Seva Foundation. This show raised money to improve vision health in India.
Since Jesse’s Northern California house burned to the ground in 1995, his focus has been closer to home. He now lives on the Big Island of Hawaii, and spends his time helping schools raise funds for various projects. He played a show in Honokaa, on the island’s northeast coast, to help hire a music teacher at the local grade school. He recently went to Hilo to help send the high school band to Carnegie Hall. He reunited with the Youngbloods in the Fall of 2000 to support Green Party mayoral candidate Keiko Bonk.

But the majority of his efforts of late have once again been inspired by his children – this time by his son Tristan and his daughter Jasmine. He now devotes his time to their education, doing various benefits for the Kona Pacific School in Kealakekua.

It offers a Waldorf based curriculum for preschool through eighth grade, teaching children creatively through art, music, language and real life experience, in addition to providing basic academic skills. The school’s premise is that children learn best and will thrive in a loving, nurturing, family-style atmosphere.

His efforts have helped to build a brand new 40-acre campus for the Kona Pacific School. The new location features tasteful buildings which complement the natural setting, beautiful and functional gardens, and even a performance space for students. He hopes to be instrumental in helping to fund a high school as well, in coming years.

It’s all consistent with how Jesse has used his gift of music to bring together family, friends and fans – not only to entertain, but more importantly to make a difference and to give back to the world in which we all live.