“image: http://blog.beliefnet.com/blissblog/files/2012/03/Sharon-Katz-The-Peace-Train-2012-300x183.jpg I have known Sharon Katz, for likely the last decade and am re-energized whenever I am in her presence. She of the fire-y red hair and the passionate persona, for music that speaks from the heart and to the heart of peace and social justice. An aural activist, Sharon lives in both in South Africa and Philadelphia. Her group called Sharon Katz and The Peace Train, entertains, educates and joins hearts and hands world-wide.”

“As part of International Education Week, on Tuesday, November 13, 2012, Wheelock College hosted a performance and interactive workshop led by Sharon Katz and the Peace Train with Abigail Kubeka from South Africa. Soul-sisters Abigail Kubeka, Dolly Rathebe and Sharon Katz grew up in South Africa under the old apartheid regime; they shared how they had to hide from the police to perform their music during that time. The performance is a cross-cultural initiative designed to promote global understanding, literacy and an international educational experience for faculty, learners, and administrators at Wheelock College and beyond. Photo: Sharon Katz and the Peace Train with Abigail Kubeka from South Africa”

“Sharon Katz and the Peace Train preview: Nearly two decades after momentous event, Peace Train remains a force for change. There are countless inspiring stories surrounding the release of Nelson Mandela in 1990 and the 1994 general election in South Africa that ended apartheid. One was the 1993 performance of 500 singers calling themselves When Voices Meet. Made up of people from nine different racial and cultural groups, the ensemble was put together by singer-activist Sharon Katz. Katz still looks back to that magical 1993 performance, but there have been other highlights as well, including the release of three albums and performances with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Sting, Tina Turner, Madonna and Miriam Makeba. All this, however, pales in comparison with meeting Nelson Mandela for the first time. “I first met Mandela when I performed for his 75th birthday party in 1992,” Katz says.”

“The multicultural South African band of Sharon Katz & The Peace Train helped Nelson Mandela end Apartheid and have continued spreading their message of peace and reconciliation through performances and workshops in festivals, educational settings and concert halls around the world.”