With a nod to the 50th anniversary of the Hart-Celler Act (1965), which eliminated strict immigration quotas based on national origin in the United States, this issue of Smithsonian Folkways Magazine explores the theme of music and migration. From labor songs and Yiddish music revival, to son jarocho and Rastafarian sounds, this issue examines how migration can bring new opportunities for sustaining and re-contextualizing musical traditions across borders.

Cover Story: Alza Tu Voz (Speak Out) by Hugo Morales
From picket line to radio, music and theater inspire farmworkers’ spirit for change.

Yiddish Song Smuggling by Daniel Kahn of The Brothers Nazaroff
To interpret Yiddish songs in a contemporary context is to breathe life into the songs of a Jewish world.

Radio Jarochelo: Connecting Communities by César Castro
A Mexican maestro uses internet technology to weave a strong thread in the fabric of tradition.

Rasta Sounds Connect Ethiopia to the Americas by Kumera Genet
The global African Diaspora has often searched through music for a “post-racist utopia.”