EyesOnFreedom: Evolving Gifts of Simple Nonviolent Living

Michael and Carrie Kline, Talking Across the Lines

Wally and Juanita Nelson were civil rights activists, peace activists, war tax refusers, subsistence farmers, and advocates for simple living. They were members of groups such as CORE (Congress on Racial Equality), FOR (Fellowship of Reconciliation), and Peacemakers. In western Massachusetts they were founding members of the Greenfield Farmers' Market, the Free Harvest Supper, the Valley Community Land Trust, and Winter Fare. They were recipients of numerous awards during their lifetime, including the Courage of Conscience Award from the Peace Abbey in Sherborn, Mass., the Sacco and Vanzetti Award from Community Church in Boston, and the Local Hero Award from CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture) for championing local food and agriculture. (Excerpted from https://www.nelsonhomestead.org) As folklorists, gatherers of oral testimonials and audio producers, we Klines, along with production assistant Nicholas Boyer, produced an hour-long audio tapestry. This is an interweaving of many of the 25 voices we've recorded near and far under the guidance of the Nelson Legacy Project Archival Committee. Each interview averages 90 minutes. We excerpt short portions in order to weave a conversation on the themes of the Nelsons' lives—race, or the one human race, nonviolence, war tax refusal, joy, dance, land trusts and the action around the Kehler-Corner home seizure in Colrain by the IRS, the local food movement and simple living. Most all of our documentaries have music woven throughout. We created a short piece on the Nelsons called You Don't Gotta. You can hear it on the Project website where you can also enjoy a great many other audiovisual pieces and writings featuring the Nelsons.