Pendarvis Leads Musical Protest as WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes Resound

We are on Day 106 of the WGA (Writers Guild of America) strike and Day 33 of the SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) strike. Demonstrations have been prevalent, but it seems music and media have merged into a new form of protest. A musical picket line emerged on Tuesday outside NBCUniversal headquarters in Manhattan, featuring backup singer, Janice Pendarvis, who played a noteworthy part in the 2013 Oscar-winning documentary, 20 Feet from Stardom.

The protest took place on a bustling stretch at Rockefeller Center where Pendarvis led fellow vocalists and several dozen SAG-AFTRA picketers, belting out the protest anthem, "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round." This was the first of three solidarity marches planned for SAG-AFTRA’s Tuesday pickets, with additional events scheduled in Nashville and Los Angeles.

In New York, Pendarvis was accompanied by her co-star from 20 Feet, Lisa Fischer, and Peppermint, a former contestant from RuPaul's Drag race. Other celebrities at the demonstration included Juno and The Umbrella Academy star, Elliot Page.

Pendarvis, whose voice has enhanced performances by revered musicians like The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Sting, Peter Tosh, and Laurie Anderson, is also the national vice president for recording artists and singers within SAG-AFTRA. At Tuesday's protest, she voiced her purpose saying, "This isn’t frivolous entertainment, this is to sustain people's spirits while they aren’t making money. This is to help people persevere.”

New York Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani was also present, rallying the picketers with a profound speech highlighting the significance of the actors' and writers' strikes. Mamdani, a representative from Queens who previously worked as a counselor for low-income homeowners fighting eviction, asserted, "This is the struggle of every working person in the country."

Pendarvis stated she was not ready to acknowledge any progress regarding the talks between her union counterparts at the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers until there was a solid deal. She reiterated that the strike was not just for today but for the future of the entertainment and media industry.

Now, while the facts alone paint a compelling narrative of rebellion and resolve, it wouldn't hurt to add a touch of Prentice.

There's a certain harmony to these protests, and pardon the pun, but it seems the workers in the entertainment industry are not singing a solo here, but a vastly complicated, many-part harmony. The strikes by both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are not isolated incidents, but instead, refrains in a larger composition, one about fairly compensating talent in an industry that leans heavily on them.

The decision to have Janice Pendarvis lead this musical picket line is an apt testament to this. An accomplished backing vocalist, she knows the craft of enhancing the overall performance while sharing the limelight with the stars. Similarly, she seeks fair treatment and better financial compensation for all performing artists, regardless of their ranking on the cast list.

Her rendition of the protest anthem "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round" carries a poignant message for every worker in the entertainment industry and indeed everywhere: It’s about persevering, about sustained unity, about staring adversity directly in the eye and singing, quite literally, "We gonna strike ’til we win/They can’t turn me around.”

Pendarvis, with a drawn-out picket line behind her, powerfully embodies the unity of entertainers. Looking at her and at actors like Elliot Page, the far removed and intangible concepts of unity and perseverance suddenly have faces, voices and, in this case, a captivating melody.

Zohran Mamdani’s contribution to the proceedings is a reminder that entertainment, while on one side glamourous, is also labor and requires fair remuneration. Cinematic glamour cannot become the currency of the entertainment industry, and the merit of the front and backstage talent cannot be overshadowed by the flashbulbs of red carpets.

In an era where there is an uncomfortable shift from financial payment to exposure or "visibility," workers should not be left as supporting cast members in the opulent film that is the entertainment industry. Instead, they should be given co-director credits, partaking in the significant decision of fair wages.

Take a bow, Pendarvis, for you've not only sustained spirits with your voice, but you've also struck a chord with that of thousands of others, who stand resolved in unison, asking, rather singing for change. With this display, you've certainly given us a show we won't soon forget.