03.15.2011 Sound Strike to host panel discussion at South By South West Music & Film Festival. The panel will include several key artists leading the musician boycott of Arizona known as The Sound Strike. Artists on the panel will feature activists Sal Reza and Leilani Clark, Visual Artist Favianna Rodriguez, Author Jeff Chang, hip-hop artist Immortal Technique, and Mexican Rockero Roco of Maldita Vecindad. Maldita Vecindad recently joined the Sound Strike along with Zepeda Bros label-mates Tungis, Elis Paprika, Allison and Sonidero Mestizo.
Artists and activists will discuss how a nation with fast and vast demographic changes is grappling with these changes and its relation to the growing nativist and racist legislation and hatred. Artists and activists will discuss the Sound Strike and their commitment to working together to raise awareness and opposition to the treatment of immigrants in Arizona. The panel is called, “The Sound Strike, Immigration, and You.” It will be held Thursday at 3:30pm at the Austin Convention Center.
“This panel will be a great opportunity to discuss the spread of hatred and anti-immigrant animosity and legislation. We may disagree on how to fight back, but we need to talk about what is happening and our role as artists in helping to galvanize support for basic human rights and equality,” said Favianna Rodriguez celebrated printmaker and digital artist.
The panel will be moderated by Javier Gonzalez who is managing daily activities of the Sound Strike.
About SXSW
South by Southwest (SXSW, Inc.) is a private company based in Austin, Texas, with a year-round staff of professionals dedicated to building and delivering conference and festival events for entertainment and related media industry professionals. Since 1987, SXSW has produced the internationally recognized Music and Media Conference & Festival.
About Sound Strike
Sound Strike is a coalition of Artists that have committed to supporting the International Boycott of Arizona in the wake of the passage of SB1070. These artists have made a commitment to work together to be a part of a larger artist community to raise awareness and opposition to the predatory and punitive treatment of immigrants in Arizona. Sound Strike wants to not only play a role in repealing SB1070, but also in galvanizing a new generation of ideas that reject the old ways of thinking while affirming that we are all equal.
