Songs for Social Change Awards Celebration & Concert Streams Feb. 5

The winner and finalists in the annual Songs for Social Change contest hosted by Renaissance Artists and Writers Association will perform and talk about their songs via a Saturday, February 5, 2022 livestream on the organization’s Facebook page beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT/7 p.m. CT.

Boston, Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter Kemp Harris was named the winner of the 2021 contest for his song “Stand Up, Rise Up,” the title track for his latest album that was released in October 2020. Born in Edenton, North Carolina, Harris taught himself piano and began writing songs at age 14. He honed his performance style in the coffeehouses of Cambridge, MA; established a songwriting residency at Boston’s Wang Theatre; composed and performed original music for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; and co-taught master classes on Artists as Activists at Berklee College of Music. Besides being a singer-songwriter and musician, Harris is an activist, actor, author of children’s books, and an educator. He taught kindergarten and first grade for nearly 40 years and continues his storytelling in elementary schools. Fittingly, Harris views himself as a renaissance man who can’t be pigeonholed.

Here’s a link to view a video for “Stand Up, Rise Up”:
youtube.com/watch?v=AVCMmEA75FU

Finalists in the 2021 edition of the Songs for Social Change contest include Anita Aysola (“America’), Taylor Abrahamse (“Won’t Put Up With It”), Stephanie Chou (“Millennial Woman”), Mary Lou Fulton and Annette Adler (“Come Along”), Fyutch (“Juneteenth”), Erika Kulnys (“Rise Up”), Eric Law (“I Need Your Light”), Michael and Nell (“Welcome Home”), Brant Miller (“No Interest in That”), and Len Seligman (“Our Turn Now”). In addition to being heard during the livestream, each of the 12 songs will appear on a compilation CD that will be sent to radio stations and other media outlets.

Songs were evaluated based on how well the lyrics address social issues confronting society today and how well the performance and production enhanced the lyrics. According to RAWA, judges looked for songs that “will inspire people to build a world where there is social and economic justice for all, as well as care for all other human beings and the planet’s ecosystem.”

Renaissance Artists and Writers Association (RAWA) was launched in 1958 to restore art to its true role as an instrument for social change and awakening. Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar, its founder, envisioned a New Artistic Renaissance wherein artists and writers would unite and inspire society to move forward in a progressive direction. Today, RAWA represents a worldwide movement of artists, writers, musicians and other creative people who desire to use their talents to serve humanity. Entries in its seventh consecutive songwriting contest are now being accepted at rawa.net/songs-for-social-change-2022/.