changed me. It brought in a new perspective
of what I’m here to do. Everything is making
more sense now.”
Guthrie often includes some of Woody’s
songs as part of her set – and she also led
the massive crowds gathered at rallies for
presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’s
Southern California swing in late May in her
grandfather’s most pervasive composition,
“This Land is Your Land”.
“That was absolutely amazing. I felt so
good and so right to be up there,” Guthrie
said. “I got some flack for it, of course,
because whatever side you’re on there’s
the opposing view. Some people posting
on Facebook thought I should stick with
music and not be political. But then others
commented, ‘How can you tell a Guthrie to
stay out of politics?’ That was gratifying.
“I love that I can form an opinion and
sing it aloud and take a stand in whatever
fight it is. That feeling to have grown up
with my dad and with the songs of my
grandfather and Pete Seeger – there’s a real
strong sense of justice in me. To be a part
of what Bernie Sanders is doing awoke a lot
of feelings for me. I’ve written a lot of songs
just from having done that.”
Still, Guthrie said her newfound faith in
folk music isn’t part of an obligation to carry
on the family legacy.
“It’s almost the opposite, more of an
honor that I get to grow into. It’s amazing
that Woody could write all these songs and
have people singing them generations later.
It’s very powerful. It’s part of who I am, part
PROFILES
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