At local church, Dar Williams sings for peace

As folk singer Dar Williams' acoustic guitar chords drifted over full pews at Nassau Presbyterian Church on Saturday night, she hoped her listeners would absorb more than just music.

Williams' performance of original songs — part of a benefit concert for the Princeton Borough-based Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA) — featured an overarching pro-peace message, complete with throwbacks to the 1960s antiwar movement, including a moment when she flashed the peace sign while strumming her guitar.

Williams, who had headlined CFPA's Annual Concert for Peace twice before, said she has gotten "more radical" with age and was proud to support peace and social justice through her performance.

"Anything that's done creatively can really move people," she said in an interview before the concert. "Art, I think, is something that ... really renews your spirit."

Williams played a cover of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb," which she said "one could argue [is] a political commentary."

She added that she believes the song's theme can apply to technology's role in the modern world, arguing that inventions like the iPod have given people "the power to tune out, to block out the noise."

"We just realized that we were waist deep in the war in Iraq when the iPod came out," she said. "So there's this kind of juxtaposition of deep political muck and incredible technological comfort."

Williams also played her song "Empire," which she said urges listeners to "look at that word and see how dangerous it is, and how ineffective it is."

The song uses "subtle language" to question whether the United States is becoming an empire, she said, "because if we are an empire, we're doomed."

Anna Liebowitz '09, who attended a CFPA antiwar rally in Palmer Square last year, said she came to this year's concert "because I love Dar Williams."

One of a handful of University students in the audience of about 400, Liebowitz said she thought " 'Empire' made many in the audience uncomfortable."

"Going back and reading the lyrics, though," she added, "I think the song is not excessively inflammatory."

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CFPA, a grassroots organization that supports the abolition of nuclear weapons and international peace, organizes lobbying, educational and protest events. A group of Princeton religious leaders founded the group in 1980 out of concern "about the escalation of the nuclear arms race," CFPA executive director Rev. Robert Moore said.

Williams praised the organization's dedication and energy. "They're friendly, they're committed, they've been at it for decades," she said, "and still seem completely invigorated."

The Annual Concert for Peace is one of CFPA's core fundraising events. Williams plays at many fundraisers for causes she supports, she said. She has performed for groups including Vermont Solar Power and Women Helping Women.

"I will do anywhere from five to 10 [fundraisers] a year, happily," Williams said.

Stanley Stroman, a graduate of Westminster Choir College, opened the concert for Williams. He walked down the church aisle at one point, taking the hands of clapping audience members as he sang.

"I'm always willing to raise my voice for world justice and peace," Stroman said in an interview.

On stage, Williams jokingly recounted her mixed religious background, noting that her parents took an "equal-opportunity" approach to her religious education. Today, she said, she "aspire[s] to become a wise and accepting person."

She also described her interest in various social issues, including environmental conservation and women's rights. She added that she believes Princeton's environment encourages activism, particularly for students who gain what she called a "flexible thinking capability."

"You've got a lot of radical thinkers on your campus," Williams said, listing professors Peter Singer and Cornel West GS '80 as examples.

Though Williams' concert attracted a handful of students, Moore said the group, which is headquartered on Witherspoon Street, generally has limited interaction with University undergraduates. "We'd love to have student involvement, but it's been very haphazard," Moore said.

Sara Malkani '07, who volunteered at the concert and interned at CFPA last summer, was one of a few students who revived the Princeton Peace Network (PPN) campus group last fall. At the time, their plans included organizing events with CFPA.

She added that she "didn't personally encounter a lot of interest" in her group when seeking new members last fall.

CFPA and PPN have held only one joint event so far: a screening last October of "Rush to War," a documentary criticizing the Bush Administration and the Iraq war. Malkani said that "quite a few people showed up," but most were not students.

Malkani noted what she called a lack of student activism. "There's been a considerable degree of antiwar sentiment," she said, "but there's not a lot of organization done against it."