Joan Baez at the recent Chicago Humanities Festival. (Photo by Cindy Barrymore)

“Who wants to sit next to Juanita?”

Born in New York, and growing up in California, and later Massachusetts, Joan Baez says she felt like an outsider as a young girl of Mexican heritage in a small public school where her grade school teacher taunted her with a name that was not hers.

“I look Mexican and I was feeling marginalized,” she says.

The legendary singer, artist, author and social justice activist was speaking at the Chicago Humanities Festival recently in conversation with Justin Richmond, NPR arts reporter and producer of the podcast, “Started From The Bottom.”

“@Joancbaez, legendary singer, artist, author and #socialjustice activist was speaking at @Chihumanities recently in conversation with @Itsjrichmond, @NPR arts reporter and producer of the podcast, “Started From The Bottom.” ”

At 82, Baez has been honored by the Kennedy Center in 2020 for a stunning performance and recording career punctuated with civil rights activism and advocacy for global peace, environmental justice and protests against wrongful conviction, the death penalty, injustice and violence. She models leadership in many forms.

Born in 1941, Baez has produced 30 albums in English and Spanish plus songs in six other languages. She says she saw a Pete Seeger concert at 13 and knew what she wanted to do with her life.

“Born in 1941, @Joancbaez has produced 30 albums in English and Spanish plus songs in six other languages. She says she saw a Pete Seeger concert at 13 and knew what she wanted to do with her life. #intentioning”

“At 13 I had a ukelele,” Baez says. And though she loved opera, it was folk music “that fit like a glove.”

Her father, Albert, was a mathematician, physicist, and co-inventor of the X-ray microscope. As an MIT professor, he brought Joan to listen to jazz and folk performers at small clubs in Cambridge and Boston.

“I have to give my father credit, he didn’t like the idea but he took me to Harvard Square for the folk clubs. I saw a young woman playing guitar and it was over for me, it was all I was interested in. My mother (also Joan) was my greatest fan,” says Baez, author of the new book, Am I Pretty When I Fly: An Album of Upside Down Drawings.

In addition to music, Baez says she has been drawing since she was a young girl, and would charge three pennies for drawings of Bambi to her classmates. When she was bored in class, she would draw figures with her left hand, then draw backwards, then draw figures upside down.

“It was how I found refuge,” she says.

Later Baez painted social justice figures involved in nonviolent social change in the series, “Mischief Makers.”

Still, music was and is her consuming passion and life’s work.

At first singing in those small clubs including Club 47 in Cambridge for $10 a night, Baez moved up to sing at the first Newport Folk Festival in 1959 at just 18 years old. Three years later, she was on the cover of Time magazine.

After meeting the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1957, she became involved in bus boycotts and civil disobedience.

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, and earning two honorary doctorate degrees from Antioch and Rutgers universities, Baez has led a professional life combining her music with causes for social change.

“Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, and earning two honorary doctorate degrees from Antioch and Rutgers universities, @Joancbaez has led a professional life combining her music with causes for #socialchange. ”

That is with the backdrop of a music industry with a legacy of gender bias.

A recent study by TuneCore/Believe on gender equality in the music industry “surveyed over 1,500 professionals across major and independent labels — including creators, distributors, live music execs, managers, publicists, radio and more — representing a total of 109 different countries,” according to Variety.

The report shows “more than half of the music industry professionals and creators who responded to the survey agree that men are paid more than others in the industry though those in Africa (38%), Asia-Pacific (42%), and Latin America and the Caribbean (44%) are less likely to view gender discrimination in the music industry as a problem. Industry professionals and creators in Europe (59%) and North America (68%) are more likely to view gender discrimination in the music industry as a problem.”

“My battle was with not wanting to be commercial. Being commercial was a big thing and when I performed, I wanted the stage to be black with nothing on it and no flowers. I decided no more limousines,” she says. “I stuck to that for two weeks.”

It was other women musical performers who also helped her and influenced her style. Speaking shortly after the death of Tina Turner, Baez says Turner helped her.

“It was other women musical performers who also helped @Joancbaez and influenced her style. Speaking shortly after the death of @Tinaturner, Baez says Turner helped her. #womenleaders”

“When my career was tanking, she was coming back as a lioness,“ Baez says. “I met her in Germany and she was really great with me. She said, ‘Girlfriend, get a wig,’” Baez laughs.

A rumored longstanding competition with singer Joni Mitchell is more rumor than truth, she says.

“I didn’t think there was competition. I was so insecure in so many ways but not about this voice,” Baez says.

As the folk music world was mostly male-dominated and very competitive, Baez says she has always worked to give back to younger performers, particularly young women in the industry.

“As the folk music world was mostly male-dominated and very competitive, @Joancbaez says she has always worked to give back to younger performers, particularly young women in the industry. #genderequity”

The newly released documentary about her life, “Joan Baez: I am A Noise,” came about when the directors Miri Navasky, Maeve O’Boyle and Karen O’Connor approached her and asked if they could go through the documents and items in her storage space.

She agreed and allowed them unlimited access to everything she had saved, without exception.

“I held my nose and took a deep dive,” says Baez. “I figured I haven’t got anything to lose. I let them loose in my storage unit and it included some of my recorded therapy sessions.” She adds, “There are a few things I wish they didn’t put in there. But there is enough for a lifetime.”

When she saw the film for the first time, she was surprised. “After this film, I saw stuff I didn’t know was there and I have no desire to revisit that.” As for all that is in her storage unit, she says, “It’s probably time for a genius bonfire.”

She adds, “Everyone has three lives: the public, the personal and the secret. It is critical to give yourself permission to admit to your own traumas and issues.”

With her high global profile as an activist for injustice across the world, Baez says, “I make good trouble because it makes your life worthwhile.” She is the founder of the Institute for Study of Nonviolence, which she created in 1964 and has transitioned to become the Humanitas Resource Center for NonViolence.

“With her high global profile as an #activist for injustice across the world, @Joancbaez says, “I make good trouble because it makes your life worthwhile.” #socialchange”

With the current political culture very divisive and acts of violence commonplace, Baez says, “Do I have any hope? Not particularly. I don’t consider myself hopeful. I manage to shift from total pessimist and consider hope as a practice.”

Leadership Takeaway Tip of The Week:

“Everyone has three lives: the public, the personal and the secret. It is critical to give yourself permission to admit to your own traumas and issues.” — Joan Baez, legendary musician, artist, activist, author

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About the Author

Michele Weldon is editorial director of Take The Lead, an award-winning author, journalist, emerita faculty in journalism at Northwestern University and a senior leader with The OpEd Project. @micheleweldon www.micheleweldon.com