The Indigo Girls’ political activism

Emily Saliers (left) and Amy Ray (right) are The Indigo Girls. “The benefits that we choose to play, and the causes that we choose to become educated and involved with are things that we both put our hearts and souls and minds into,” says Emily Saliers. Photo by Jeremy Cowart.

The Indigo Girls have been intertwining politics and songwriting since they began making music 35 years ago. The folk-rock duo, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, just released their 15th studio album called “Look Long.” They talk to KCRW about new songs and how they figure out their roles in social justice movements. 

“We are going to take the lead from our educators, our Black activist leaders. And we just want to be — even if the word shifts at this point — I'm going to use the word ‘ally.’ You can guide us, but we're also going to figure out what we have to do as white people amongst ourselves to stop this terrible racism and violence that's been happening for 400 years now,” says Amy Ray.