March/April 2006 Issue

Long Walk to Freedom

Ladysmith Black Mambazo. <I>Heads Up</i>

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Joseph Shabalala?s Ladysmith Black Mambazo stood for hope during the days of South African apartheid, their stirring a cappella vocals sounding a reliable note of peaceful determination. Now, the eight-man ensemble has shifted into party mode, reworking some favorite songs (including two from the group?s collaboration with Paul Simon on Graceland), joined by famous fans. If not everyone takes to Ladysmith?s swooping, soaring style (i.e., Natalie Merchant), sparkling performances predominate. Emmylou Harris brings a rural twang to the breathtaking ?Amazing Grace?; Taj Mahal shows off his spiky blues guitar on ?Mbube,? a.k.a. ?The Lion Sleeps Tonight?; and Melissa Etheridge helps make ?Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes? into a swinging, doo-wop-flavored romp. Shabalala and company have long been known as inspiring good guys. Long Walk is a reminder that they?re plenty of fun, too.

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

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