Picture yourself by a lake. The water reflects the setting mid-July sun, and the smell of barbecue smoke wafts in the air. You see a crowd gathering under some trees by the shore. There’s a stage set up, and a band starts to play. You’re drawn in by the drumbeat and the warble of an electric guitar. And you’re not alone: soon, lawn chairs are spread over the scene, and dozens of boats have drawn near on the shoreline.
But this isn’t any ordinary concert. You quickly realize the audience didn’t just come for the music; they came to hear the sound of public justice, too!
Such was the scene of CPJ’s recent fundraising concert on July 20th, Tunes at Twilight. Situated in the lush surroundings of southwestern Ontario’s Conestogo Lake, the event featured an unlikely tag-team: a local rock band, Alice Dee, and a CPJ policy analyst, Maryo Wahba.
The idea to blend public justice awareness with outdoor music was spurred by Jason Martin, a CPJ member from Drayton, ON, who works in the local agricultural sector. Despite having never organized such an event before, Martin says it’s his faith that motivated him to be actively involved in justice initiatives. “As a Christian I believe all people are equal and should be treated with love and respect,” said Martin, “CPJ embodies this stance.”
Martin dreamt up the concept while staying at a friend’s cottage. But what started as fireside musings quickly snowballed into concrete plans— and, ultimately, a roaring success. The event attracted about 100 people, who together raised a significant amount of money to continue CPJ’s work of pursuing justice in the realms of poverty eradication in Canada, climate justice, and refugee and migrant rights.
Beyond drawing attention to current policy issues, the event brought together a diverse group of people, both urban dwellers and rural folk, nearby cottagers and members of the local Mennonite community. These included some folks who were longtime CPJ members and others who hadn’t heard of the organization before.
In any diverse group, there are bound to be differences of opinion, especially in terms of government policy. However, the organizers felt the event spoke to the power of music to bridge divides and bring people together in harmony, if not in unison. Maryo Wahba, CPJ’s Climate Justice Policy Analyst, who gave the crowd a taste of CPJ’s work with a brief presentation, met one audience member who didn’t align entirely with CPJ’s climate justice work, but opted to make a donation anyway because of the organization’s commitment to the common good and public justice.
Though the concert marked CPJ’s first musical venture, executive director Willard Metzger hopes music will continue to play a role in the collective push for justice: “If there are artists out there that resonate with what CPJ does, I would love to have conversations with them and see how we can work together,” Metzger said. “Music is such a rich form of communication; there are things you can say with music that you just can’t say with words.”
Watch Alice Dee perform rock favourites
Are you interested in hosting your own CPJ event?
CPJ members are an engaged and connected community of public justice advocates. If you have an idea for an event that you’d like to host in your own community, we encourage you to reach out to us by emailing ac.jpc@jpc.
We can support you with:
- Thematic planning
- Logistics and coordination
- Event promotion
- And more!
