The Bad Penny (beta)

Our parents and grandparents had Thurgood Marshall. Now it’s looking like we’re going to have martial law.

Earlier today, Gail Swanson – a cool, collected but also furious folk artist – participated in The Bad Penny’s tragically ongoing series called On Tyranny. As has been the case with almost every edition we publish, it seems like the Trump administration and MAGA have just terrorized or are about to terrorize the American populace with a calamity, catastrophe or cataclysm that may take decades, centuries or even longer to repair.

But while the majority of us seem to be in despair over our powerlessness, not just over the fascist regime that now rules over us, Swanson is refusing to give in to hopelessness and galvanize herself into action more than ever before.

The folk artist’s preternatural ability to connect with her audience is no accident; her mother was a dyed-in-the-wool activist who imparted key beliefs and values onto her daughter.

“Myra Ducharme was a folk-singing social worker, activist, and feminist,” Swanson recalled in a statement. “She raised us on her own for years, working as a waitress while going to school for her Master of Social Work during the day. On the weekends she would take my sister and I to the marches and rallies when Martin Luther King Jr. was leading the civil rights movement. We were so young, my grandma was always very nervous about us getting hurt, but my mom really wanted to ingrain into our souls how important it was to be there and take a stand.

“My mom was a real badass,” Swanson continued. “Over the years, she helped abused women escape from life-and-death situations and fought hard for the ERA, equal housing and civil rights.”

As a posthumous tribute to her indomitable mother, Swanson recently released a single and accompanying video called “My Mama Marched.” My mom was the most supportive person to me in my life and this song is the perfect way to honor her,” she said.

The video bridges the gap between the Civil Rights Movement and The Resistance, both loosely affiliated groups determined to engage in peaceful civil disobedience as strategies to strive for social justice; the end to sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia and the other ills that continue to plague what conservatives in particular still stands as “The Greatest Country in the world.”

Here is the clip, which alternates between historic events that occurred with regularity in the 20th century and earned Americans so many benefits we take for granted; women’s right to vote, racial equality, First Amendment protections, gay rights and so on. (Keep an eye out for appearances by Willie Nelson and Sheryl Crow.)

For more info, go to MyMamaMarched.com.

Shout-outs from Swanson:

• Micah Nelson AKA Particle Kid produced the music.
• Nelson also created the “World Spinning Backwards” animation in “My Mother Marched.”
• Inflatable Film commandeered the film and video.
• Swanson calls Annie Nelson the “leader of my supportive tribe.”

Go here for the On Tyranny archive, which now boasts 87 entries.

For more info, go to MyMamaMarched.com.

This entry was posted on 01/14/2026 at 4:46 pm and is filed under Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny with tags Annie Nelson, authoritarianism, fascism, Gail Swanson, ICE, On Tyranny, Particle Kid, Sheryl Crow, tyranny, Willie Nelson. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.