On this day in history In 1988, the Amnesty International Human Rights Now tour happened. Featuring Bruce Springsteen, Sting and Peter Gabriel, Youssou NDour, Tracy Chapman, and played Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Country-rocker k.d. lang was added to the lineup and sang as well in support. amnesty.org/ _______ Human Rights Now! was a worldwide tour of twenty benefit concerts on behalf of Amnesty International that took place over six weeks in 1988. Held not to raise funds but to increase awareness of both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on its 40th anniversary and the work of Amnesty International, the shows featured Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman, and Youssou NDour, plus guest artists from each of the countries where concerts were held. Human rights activists and former prisoners of conscience from around the world, led by Sonny Venkatrathnam from South Africa, participated in the tour. At each location, the artists and Amnesty leaders held a press conference to discuss human rights, and concert-goers were provided with copies of the Universal Declaration in their language and opportunities to sign the Declaration themselves and join the worldwide human rights movement. The tour was made possible in part by a grant from the Reebok Foundation. The twenty concerts were the second stage of what subsequently became known collectively as the Human Rights Concerts - a series of music events and tours staged by the US Section of Amnesty International between 1986-1998.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 11:22:01 +0000
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