Raffi puts down the bananaphone and picks up his guitar to sing an ode to Portland's protesters

Raffi puts down the bananaphone and picks up his guitar to sing an ode to Portland's protesters
Photo: Carrie Nuttal

Alongside his well-documented love of baby belugas and fruit phones, children’s musician and all-around good guy Raffi is a big supporter of anti-fascist and anti-racist movements. His Twitter feed is filled with clearly stated declarations of his politics, condemnations of the federal response to the Black Lives Matters protests, and now a catchy ode to the protesters in Portland, Oregon.

Raffi’s “Portland Moms” encourages not just the title moms, but also Black Lives Matter and Wall Of Vets protesters to “come out tonight by the light of the silvery moon.” Raffi posted the short track as “a tribute to the heroic protests vs injustice in Portland and elsewhere,” recruiting musicians Lindsay Monroe and Ivan Rosenberg to help him record the song based on “Buffalo Gals.”

Raffi writes in another tweet that his “first US concert was in Portland” back in 1981, that he has “fond memories of shared love and music there,” and calls “the trump cruelty vs #BlackLivesMatter protesters” “heartbreaking.”

Now, listening to Raffi’s latest bit of folk activism, we remember the words to another of his hits. “I’ll call for pizza, I’ll call my cat,” he sings on “Bananaphone” before adding, “I’ll call the White House, have a chat.” Obviously Raffi isn’t stopping anytime soon. You better believe he’ll take this shit right to the top. He’s no bologna, he ain’t a phony, and he stands in solidarity with anyone protesting against injustice.

[via Consequence Of Sound]

Looking for ways to advocate for Black lives? Check out this list of resources by our sister site Lifehacker for ways to get involved.

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