The Resistance Revival Chorus (RRC) is a social-justice focused collective of more than 70 women and non-binary singers who join together to breathe joy and song into the resistance, to uplift and center the voices of women and non-binary people through music, and to address how historically marginalized those voices have been in the music industry. Chorus members are artists and activists based in New York City and represent a multitude of identities, professions, creative backgrounds, and causes.
Founded in 2017, the RRC released its debut album, This Joy on Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Records label in 2020. They perform original and traditional protest music on the streets at marches and rallies, and on major stages and festivals including at the Grammys, Carnegie Hall, The Apollo, Newport Folk Festival, and Outside Lands. Their live shows have been called “a powerful experience” by WXPN and “a full complement of sorrow, joy, defiance and hope,” by Magnet Magazine.
The great artist and activist Harry Belafonte once said, “When the movement is strong, the music is strong” and the RRC attempts to live up to that maxim. They call for justice and equity for all people across racial, ethnic, economic, sexual identity and religious lines, aim to be intersectional in their feminism, believe that art has the power to change hearts and minds, and embrace poet Toi Dericotte’s idea that “joy is an act of resistance.”
