Story by Jenene Grover
Photo by Kaleigh Young
MTSU Seigenthaler News Service
At Bonnaroo, the annual music and arts festival which began Thursday, music is the main attraction, but there’s plenty of people talking about serious issues, too.
In the middle of the 700-acre farm-turned-entertainment venue is the aptly named Centeroo, where a collection of non-profit organizations have conversations with Bonnaroovians ambling through. These organizations include groups focused on political action and LGBTQ advocacy but Habitat for Humanity, the Human Rights Campaign, Sexual Harassment Prevention Training and other groups are also represented.
“This is the first year that Planet Roo has a section called ‘Ally Alley,’ so the LGBTQ organizations have a space where they can come,” said Nashville native Corrine Elise, Associate Director of Engagement and Administration at Nashville Launch Pad, a volunteer organization that provides a safe place for displaced youth to sleep so they don’t end up sleeping on the street.
While some things are new this year, many organizations have returned because of the special nature of the audience at Bonnaroo.
“This is our 13th Bonnaroo, and the reason we keep coming back is because it’s a beautiful mixture of people who’ve come in from different parts of the country but also local,” said Summit, New Jersey native Bob Ferguson, Music Outreach Manager at Oxfam, a global initiative to end poverty.
Many of the organizations that attend are non-partisan and strive to educate people in certain areas.
“Headcount’s mission is to get as many people to the polls as possible, not in either party and making the voice of the country more inclusive. There’s so many people here, and there’s so much diversity, so why not get everyone registered to vote and get everybody jazzed about democracy,” said Huntsville, Alabama, native Wanda Wesolowsko, volunteer at Headcount.
Bonnaroo is so special to those that keep returning because of the people they have the opportunity to interact with.
“There’s a woman I’ve seen almost every year since I’ve been here, who the first time I saw her, she was pregnant. Next year, she brought her infant, and every year, she comes back with her kid. She asks really interesting questions about what it’s like to live in these different parts. She talks about this in not just a dreamy way. . .but out of concern for humanity,” said Ferguson.
People from all over the country – and often the world – attend Bonnaroo, allowing both national and local organizations to be recognized by more demographics.
“I think it’s important to be in places like Bonnaroo because it attracts a different crowd. We show up every weekend at a pride festival, and those are people who are in our community and are very supportive of our community. Not everyone here might be that way, so just showing up in new and unique spaces and being new people helps,” said Portland, Oregon, native Zach Hasychak, Senior Director of Membership Outreach at the Human Rights Campaign.
While politics tend to follow people everywhere they go, having a so-called “safe space” to discuss certain topics allows people to be more open and learn more.
“I can’t do that at other festivals. The big city festivals, they’re mostly people who are there just for the music, and they come and they’re gone. Here, people seem to show up wanting to learn about issues, wanting to be helpful, and they often have really fantastic ideas that I can take back to our home office,” said Ferguson.
Many at Planet Roo described Bonnaroo in general as a place where people are free to express themselves and their thoughts, allowing creativity and connection to thrive at the advocacy booths in Planet Roo.
Jenene Grover is the politics and government reporter for MTSU Sidelines.
To contact News Editor Kailee Shores and Assistant News Editor Alyssa Williams, email newseditor@mtsusidelines.com.
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