In some ways, MadSoul looked the part of any other music festival. Sprawled out along the lawn, posing for photos and excitedly plotting out where to stand for the next artist’s set, were clusters of young attendees wearing MUNA merch and t-shirts emblazoned with statements in support of abortion and Black liberation.
Ceasefire and pro-Palestine protesters outside MadSoul Fest.
The Washington Post
But the day’s festivities were also shot through with a tense undercurrent. From just beyond the park’s perimeter, chants of “ceasefire now” could be heard loud and clear throughout the day, at times overpowering whomever was on stage. “Genocide is not self defense!” read one sign. “Let Gaza Live!” was written on another.
After the fact, Frost told Teen Vogue he anticipated this. “As someone who was out in the streets, got arrested, tear gassed, and maced during the Black Lives Matter uprising—I got elected to Congress as an organizer and protester at heart,” Frost said. “Making your voice heard in any way possible is at the core of our democracy, and I respect everyone’s right to fight for what they believe in.”
When asked earlier in the day about the cynicism of young voters, Frost told Teen Vogue that he understood, but remained encouraged by the number of Gen Z voters aligned with Democrats in the 2020 presidential election – 65%, according to NBC exit polls.
“What we have to do is not take it for granted, which has [caused] some of the problems we’ve seen,” said Frost. “I think a lot of people in the Democratic Party take the youth vote for granted, and forget [that] as easily – or, not as easily – as we got it, we can also lose it.”
Florida State Rep. Anna Eskamani (D), Montana State Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D), and Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones (D).
The Washington Post/Getty Images
“One of the things that art has always provided is a way to show us that we’re connected,” Rep. Zooey Zephyr told Teen Vogue, in a conversation before her talk with State Rep. Justin Jones. “It’s incredibly important in the state of Florida that we are helping raise money for orgs fighting for LGBTQ+ rights and for abortion access, but we’re also showing the ways in which those fights don’t happen in silos.”
The day reminded Zephyr, the first openly trans representative in her state, who was censured by Montana House Republicans last year, of debates she had with her father on their porch when she was a teenager. One of those recurring debates was about what moves people to action.
“People want to think that they’re motivated by hope,” she recalled him telling her, “but really, deep down, everyone is motivated by fear.”
How fear manifests in our choices was on the minds of MUNA’s Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson before they took the stage. Since Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, several artists and public figures have experienced backlash — both for expressing opinions about the conflict or for staying silent. MUNA told Teen Vogue they were disappointed to miss the global day of action protests in their native Los Angeles in support of a ceasefire, but that they extended their support to the protesters outside the event before the interview.
Chuck D has told his followers to manage their expectations about their elected leaders, cautioning against expecting politicians to be saviors in the wake of the State of the Union address.The Public Enemy MC made clear on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday (March 7) that it was more important to know about the issues brought up in the annual presidential speech than about any similar entertainment event.“Pay Attention,” he began. “Understanding this State of the union right now is more […]
