For this special afternoon performance the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives (ALBA) celebrates the 74th reunion of the Lincoln Brigade with a program of music and spoken word. Featuring famed jazz/blues vocalist and social activist Barbara Dane and guest speaker Maria Blanco, the executive director of the Boalt (University of California) Law School's Earl Warren Institute, the event commemorates the American citizens who volunteered to fight against Franco's fascists in the Spanish Civil War. The program also honors Judge Baltasar Garzón, an outspoken champion of human rights who currently sits on the Criminal Court of Spain.

In the musical portion of the event, Barbara Dane performs a stirring selection of songs from the Spanish Civil War, with bassist Bruce Barthol, Barrett Nelson (guitar), Greg Pratt (mandolin and fiddle), and Randy Craig (piano). A true institution in the universe of jazz, blues, and folk music, Barbara has been famed for her pure, rich vocals ever since she first came to wide public attention performing with the likes of Louis Armstrong and Muddy Waters in the late 1950s and early '60s. The afternoon's musical program will be further enhanced by projections from documentary photographer Richard Bermack.

Made up of volunteers from all walks of American life, the Abraham Lincoln Brigade refers to volunteers from the United States who fought for Spanish Republican forces against Franco and the Spanish Nationalists, starting in 1936. The brigade's high casualty rate and bravery in battle made them heroic figures to Americans opposing the rise of fascism; of the more than 3,000 who fought in the battalion during the conflict, over one-third were killed. The Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives (ALBA) is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to promoting public awareness, research, and discussion about the Spanish Civil War and the American volunteers who risked their lives to fight fascism in Spain.

Visit the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives website