Singing Resistance Gathers in Coachella Valley

Community event to feature songs of resistance and solidarity

Mar. 13, 2026 at 3:34pm

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Singing Resistance Coachella Valley, a growing nationwide movement, will hold a community singing event on Friday, March 20 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Desert in Rancho Mirage, California. The event aims to use community singing to foster solidarity, hope, and dissent in the face of rising authoritarianism, systemic violence, anti-immigrant policies, and wars.

Why it matters

The Singing Resistance movement has taken root in cities across the U.S. as a way for communities to come together through song and voice their opposition to social and political injustices. This event in the Coachella Valley provides a local platform for residents to join the nationwide effort.

The details

The Singing Resistance Coachella Valley event is open to everyone and will take place at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Desert. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. and the singing will run from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event is organized by the church's minister, Rev. Ian Riddell, who believes that community singing can "slip across borders" and "penetrate hard shells" to create change.

  • The Singing Resistance Coachella Valley event will take place on Friday, March 20, 2026.
  • Doors open at 5:45 p.m. and the singing will run from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The players

Rev. Ian Riddell

The minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Desert, who is organizing the Singing Resistance Coachella Valley event.

Unitarian Universalist Church of the Desert

A church in Rancho Mirage, California that is hosting the Singing Resistance Coachella Valley event.

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What they’re saying

“Coming together in singing and chanting amplifies our voices and shares our vision of the beloved community in ways that can't be ignored.”

— Rev. Ian Riddell, Minister, Unitarian Universalist Church of the Desert

“Throughout our history movements for change and justice have sung and chanted new realities into our hearts and minds.”

— Rev. Ian Riddell, Minister, Unitarian Universalist Church of the Desert

“Songs are sneaky things. They can slip across borders. Proliferate in prisons. Penetrate hard shells . . . I always believed that the right song at the right moment could change history.”

— Pete Seeger

What’s next

The Singing Resistance Coachella Valley event on March 20 will provide a platform for community members to come together through song and voice their opposition to social and political injustices.

The takeaway

The Singing Resistance movement is using the power of community singing to foster solidarity, hope, and dissent in the face of rising authoritarianism and systemic violence. This event in the Coachella Valley is part of a growing nationwide effort to create change through the unifying force of music.