Sharon Katz is once again riding the Peace Train. On July 9, the 2016 US Peace Train tour kicks off with a performance in New York City at the Ethical Culture Society. Additional stops are being made in Jersey City, Trenton, Philadelphia and Washington DC. Harry and Shari Belafonte are scheduled to be guests at the NYC opening concert.

Sharon Katz

The tour is modeled after similar projects that Sharon undertook in her native South Africa in the 1990s. In 1992, Sharon broke ground in her homeland by putting together a 500 member multi-cultural and multi-lingual choir. It was the first time such a diverse group would perform in South Africa. A year later, Sharon found sponsors to hire a train and she toured the country with 150 performers including the group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Dubbed “The Peace Train”, they performed concerts for people of all ages and races, encouraging audiences to put aside their hostilities and help prepare their country for a peaceful democracy. A documentary about The Peace Train, When Voices Meet, was released in 2015. The critically acclaimed film captures the tour’s impact on its participants and the country.

Growing up in South Africa during the apartheid era, Sharon was a first-hand witness to the barriers and atrocities that were occurring. As a teenager, she would sneak into the “Black Only” townships, hidden under blankets in a friend’s car. In addition to being exposed to the music, she also met with actors in South African playwright and novelist Athol Fugard’s Circle Players group. The powerful experiences led Sharon to begin a lifelong mission of using music to help break down barriers.

As part of her mission, Sharon created a non-profit organization, Friends of The Peace Train, raising funds and supporting projects in both South Africa and the United States. They work in many areas, addressing needs in education, healthcare, housing and vocational training as well as the arts. They also work to help children who have been orphaned by violence and the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Now living in the United States, Sharon was motivated to put together the Peace Train 2016 US Tour as a response to the racial issues and divisive rhetoric that has plagued our nation in recent years. Sharon has gathered together a diverse group of youth and adult singers from all across America, and along with her band, they will spread a message of peace, respect and shared values to audiences in their journey.

The tour begins within days of two black men being shot and killed by police officers in Louisiana and Minnesota, and the killing of five white police officers and wounding of seven others in Dallas. The 2016 US Peace Train is sending a much needed message of mutual understanding.

One of the Peace Train performers, Sydney Arzt, summed up this tour in a recent post on Facebook: “I am moved by the thought that it could not come at a better time in our very sad country. #all livesmatter. The Peace Train wishes to make the statement that it is time for the United States to be United once again.. for the right reasons. We shall dance. We shall sing. We shall dance some more. With 90 young people of various backgrounds, color. Ethnic origin, education and sexual preference, we will once again demonstrate what is possible among humans. “

The final performances of this tour will include a concert at the Washington Monument on July 17 and a performance at the South American Embassy in DC the following day. There is hope that additional tours will be scheduled in the future to bring this important message to other parts of the country. To find out more about Sharon, her music and her work, visit her website at www.sharonkatz.com.

Click on the link below to hear an interview/in-studio performance featuring
Sharon Katz and producer Marilyn Cohen.
Originally broadcast on WFDU-FM’s TRADITIONS with Ron Olesko on June 19, 2016