THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SUMMER OF LOVE
2007 Proclamation
There are moments in time when a word or thought has such power that it changes history; a generation so involved in the moment that it becomes unstoppable; and a spiritual awaking so profound that its very conception shatters perceptions, halts the world and makes people from all nations take notice.
It started with a simple four letter word – LOVE! In the 1960’s this word became synonymous with a generation and a city called San Francisco. It was a concept, a belief deep in the hearts of all who were there (and those who wished they were). It began with the writers and artists such as Ken Kesey, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and the “Beat Generation”.
The epicenter of this movement was in certain neighborhoods of San Francisco such as North Beach and Haight Ashbury and in cities like Palo Alto, Berkeley, Los Angeles and New York. These pockets of anti-social, anti-establishment individuals questioned authority and their surroundings while searching for the real meanings of life and the deeper truths. These small communities of like-minded individuals and “families” of communal creativity focused on poetry, art, folk music, jazz, and rock’n roll, demanding to be free of societal restrictions, restraints and hang up’s.
And then one summer it happened! “We Were Everywhere”. The pureness of thought exploded exponentially and there were now millions of us. This event, this historical moment which included most of 1967, became known as the “SUMMER OF LOVE”.
During this period the Peace Movement was born with the “Human Be-Ins” in San Francisco and the “Love-Ins” in New York. Anti-war demonstrations occurred everywhere and college campuses erupted with thousands of people refusing the draft. The American Indians took Alcatraz and fought for their rights at Wounded Knee. This startled the government; presidents were impeached, wars were stopped, an entire generation stood up and said “Hell No”.
Social change was occurring and continued on multiple levels. Out of this orderly chaos came the “movements”: The Free Speech Movement, Free Love Movement, the Farm Workers Movement, the Women’s Movement, the Gay Movement, the Environmental Movement, the Ecology Movement, the Animal Rights Movement, the Sexual Revolution, the Spiritual Movement, the Student Movements, the Black Movement and the Anti-War Movement.
The message was clear and the world was uniting behind one principle and one thought – LOVE! and its affirmation of PEACE, COMPASSION, and UNDERSTANDING. The word was brought fourth by musicians such as Donovan, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, the Grateful Dead, and Jefferson Airplane and then carried on by many of the English musicians like Eric Clapton, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones.
Because of this free thinking environment a renaissance of gifted genius’ occurred with the likes of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Jim Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison. Concepts and inventions were coming a mile a minute touching every segment of society and even the engineering world participated by inventing the computer, the calculator and the transistor.
The internet, too had it’s inceptions in the 1960’s as a whole new creative sector of the economy developed within, took hold and became Silicon Valley (later home to Apple Computers). The international community was also in awe of this explosion of creativity as Olympic athletes showed their solidarity by uniting with the winds of change. All this started with a simple word, a simple thought – LOVE! and a generation willing to stand up and be counted and their willingness to be different.
This period of change is commemorated by celebrating the “SUMMER OF LOVE”
It stands for:
Truth and individual freedom. Freedom of expression.
Freedom for an individual to make a choice - sexually, spiritually and socially.
Our rights to be different and still belong. Honor in refusing to fight yet honoring those who do.
Creativity, love and respect for all things. Our right to make a difference.
Our right to think independently. Our willingness to share with others.
In 2007 the 40th Anniversary of the SUMMER OF LOVE will be celebrated with a FREE concert in Golden Gate Park, Speedway Meadows, San Francisco, on September 2nd from 10 am to 6pm. All are welcome.
For information 415-861-1520, summeroflove40th@yahoo.com. www.2b1records.com/summeroflove40th
There are moments in time when a word or thought has such power that it changes history; a generation so involved in the moment that it becomes unstoppable; and a spiritual awaking so profound that its very conception shatters perceptions, halts the world and makes people from all nations take notice.
It started with a simple four letter word – LOVE! In the 1960’s this word became synonymous with a generation and a city called San Francisco. It was a concept, a belief deep in the hearts of all who were there (and those who wished they were). It began with the writers and artists such as Ken Kesey, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and the “Beat Generation”.
The epicenter of this movement was in certain neighborhoods of San Francisco such as North Beach and Haight Ashbury and in cities like Palo Alto, Berkeley, Los Angeles and New York. These pockets of anti-social, anti-establishment individuals questioned authority and their surroundings while searching for the real meanings of life and the deeper truths. These small communities of like-minded individuals and “families” of communal creativity focused on poetry, art, folk music, jazz, and rock’n roll, demanding to be free of societal restrictions, restraints and hang up’s.
And then one summer it happened! “We Were Everywhere”. The pureness of thought exploded exponentially and there were now millions of us. This event, this historical moment which included most of 1967, became known as the “SUMMER OF LOVE”.
During this period the Peace Movement was born with the “Human Be-Ins” in San Francisco and the “Love-Ins” in New York. Anti-war demonstrations occurred everywhere and college campuses erupted with thousands of people refusing the draft. The American Indians took Alcatraz and fought for their rights at Wounded Knee. This startled the government; presidents were impeached, wars were stopped, an entire generation stood up and said “Hell No”.
Social change was occurring and continued on multiple levels. Out of this orderly chaos came the “movements”: The Free Speech Movement, Free Love Movement, the Farm Workers Movement, the Women’s Movement, the Gay Movement, the Environmental Movement, the Ecology Movement, the Animal Rights Movement, the Sexual Revolution, the Spiritual Movement, the Student Movements, the Black Movement and the Anti-War Movement.
The message was clear and the world was uniting behind one principle and one thought – LOVE! and its affirmation of PEACE, COMPASSION, and UNDERSTANDING. The word was brought fourth by musicians such as Donovan, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, the Grateful Dead, and Jefferson Airplane and then carried on by many of the English musicians like Eric Clapton, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones.
Because of this free thinking environment a renaissance of gifted genius’ occurred with the likes of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Jim Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison. Concepts and inventions were coming a mile a minute touching every segment of society and even the engineering world participated by inventing the computer, the calculator and the transistor.
The internet, too had it’s inceptions in the 1960’s as a whole new creative sector of the economy developed within, took hold and became Silicon Valley (later home to Apple Computers). The international community was also in awe of this explosion of creativity as Olympic athletes showed their solidarity by uniting with the winds of change. All this started with a simple word, a simple thought – LOVE! and a generation willing to stand up and be counted and their willingness to be different.
This period of change is commemorated by celebrating the “SUMMER OF LOVE”
It stands for:
Truth and individual freedom. Freedom of expression.
Freedom for an individual to make a choice - sexually, spiritually and socially.
Our rights to be different and still belong. Honor in refusing to fight yet honoring those who do.
Creativity, love and respect for all things. Our right to make a difference.
Our right to think independently. Our willingness to share with others.
In 2007 the 40th Anniversary of the SUMMER OF LOVE will be celebrated with a FREE concert in Golden Gate Park, Speedway Meadows, San Francisco, on September 2nd from 10 am to 6pm. All are welcome.
For information 415-861-1520, summeroflove40th@yahoo.com. www.2b1records.com/summeroflove40th
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