From We Shall Overcome to Give Peace a Chance, song has long been used as a means of protest or to bring attention to social inequities. The Black Freedom Movement is one classic example of how music can be used as a vehicle for change: community activists replaced the lyrics of popular hymns and other classic songs to draw attention to their issues. Rather than merely attention-grabbing, these are tunes with lyrics that inspire listeners -- and the singers themselves -- to action.

In 2019, the power of song in community organizing is alive and well in South Texas.

The colonias in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, right on the border between Texas and Mexico, are unincorporated, often rural subdivisions that were formed by Mexican migrants in the 1960s and 1970s. Developers divided and sold cheap, low-value land to these workers with the promise that basic services would soon arrive -- but for many colonias, water, electricity, sewage, and other infrastructures wouldn’t come without intense struggle. Community organizing groups called attention to the dire conditions in what would be called “America’s third world” during the 1990 gubernatorial and presidential campaigns. Throughout that decade, a series of legislation was passed to bring necessary infrastructure to the colonias.

Yet problems persist even after the arrival of these services. Today, substandard homes which violate codes still cannot connect to those hard-won services. Because most colonias are located in flood plains, even moderate rains can leave standing water for days or weeks, bringing with them the threat of mosquito-borne illnesses, mold, and rot.

It’s an irony that for years, community organizers struggled to bring water to the colonias -- and today, the same efforts are being renewed to get (flood) water out. And in those efforts, a coalition of community organizers realized that flooding, basic rights, and song have more in common than you might think. Now, colonia residents are using traditional Conjunto music to raise awareness about their current drainage and infrastructure issues.

Conjunto originated in South Texas in the late 1800s and has grew into a powerful means of resistance in the early- to mid-1900s. The resulting ballads -- called corridos -- were an avenue to talk about injustices, race relations between Mexican-Americans and Anglo-Americans, and other social issues. They could be shared publicly at large gatherings or more privately, in the home (Paredes 1976, foreword).

This was on display at the El Sonido del Agua (El Sonido del Agua) event earlier this year. Four musicians who were commissioned through the project, who had worked alongside residents over the past several months to craft lyrics, played the corridos for a live audience. The lyrics of the songs composed told the story of what colonia residents experience -- the day-to-day challenges of living in these substandard subdivisions, such as flooding and a lack of street lighting.

Los niños estaban muy desconsolados / Pues sus vacaciones no podían disfrutar / Nubes de zancudos lombrices y ratas / Cubría el terreno imposible jugar

(The children were gloomy / Since their vacations could not be enjoyed / Clouds of mosquitoes, worms, and rats / Made the ground an impossible place to play)

Las inundaciones son un gran problema / Buscando el apoyo se puede arreglar / Uniendo a la LUPE junto con Arise / y con bcWorkshop lo resolveran

(Floodings are a big issue / Looking for support, we can find solutions / Uniting the LUPE together with ARISE / and with bcWorkshop they will be solved)

The event drew nearly 200 residents who ate, danced, and listened to the powerful lyrics together. Participants of the workshops noted that music gave them a voice they hadn’t otherwise had in this realm. The next phase of the project will bring these corridos to the legislators themselves, with residents performing their songs face-to-face with the decision-makers who have the power to effect change.  

This project is a good reminder for those of us working in community organizing that the best solutions for the future may be found by delving into the past.

Listen to the soundtrack here: https://soundcloud.com/bcworkshop