For singer/song writer Kristin Lems, folk music is a form of activism
Posted: June 10, 2020, 11:00AMKristin grew up in a musical family, the daughter of a concert pianist mother and a Dutch immigrant father who had learned to play music by ear in his native home of Holland.
After learning to play the guitar, she began writing folk music and performing while an undergraduate at the University of Michigan. She later launched her professional career performing in various venues in and around Champaign Urbana in southern Illinois and at many ERA and women's rights events.
Her songs have been included in two Smithsonian/Folkways anthology recordings as well as documentaries on the women’s movement. Kristin still performs and is a Professor of ESL/Bilingual Education.
Watch Kristin talk about how her music has changed with the times: