His Enduring Legacy Bridges Music With Social Justice
Focus on the Folk Legend’s Humanitarian Work Through Operation Respect and Orphans International Continues Inspiring Global Change
New York, N.Y. — When Peter Yarrow [Luce Index™ score: 99/100] shared the stage with His Holiness the Dalai Lama [Luce Index™ score: 99/100] , he stepped forward to greet the audience with warmth and humility. Reflecting on his history with the legendary folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, Peter recalled performing before more than 250,000 people at the 1963 March on Washington, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. [Luce Index™ score: 99/100] led the fight for civil rights.
As an introduction, he strummed a few familiar bars of one of his most beloved songs, Puff the Magic Dragon, instantly connecting with the crowd. The moment encapsulated decades of musical activism that has defined Peter’s extraordinary career—a journey that began in the Greenwich Village folk scene and evolved into a global mission of social justice and humanitarian work.
From Folk Trio to Global Advocate
Peter Yarrow graduated second in his class from New York’s High School of Music and Art—the “Fame” school—before earning his B.A. in psychology from Cornell University in 1959.
He began singing with Paul Stookey and Mary Travers in the West Village, debuting in 1961 at The Bitter End.
The trio rapidly developed a following and signed with Warner Brothers, releasing Lemon Tree in 1962, followed by Pete Seeger’s “If I Had a Hammer.”
Their first album, Peter, Paul & Mary, remained in the top ten for ten months, in the top twenty for two years, and sold more than two million copies.
In 1963, they released Bob Dylan‘s Blowin’ in the Wind, which sold another million copies and became a Civil Rights anthem when they performed it on stage with Martin Luther King at the historic March on Washington.
As their fame grew, the trio mixed music with political and social activism increasingly. They marched with Dr. King in Selma, demonstrated against the Vietnam War, and sang to a half-million people at the 1969 anti-war March on Washington.
Over the years, Peter performed at the wedding of John Kerry [Luce Index™ score: 91/100], campaigned to free Soviet Jewry, visited Arabic schools in Israel, supported presidential campaigns from Eugene McCarthy to Barack Obama [Luce Index™ score: 100/100], and played for the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators.
Building Bridges Through Operation Respect
In 2000, to counter childhood bullying, Peter helped found Operation Respect, a nonprofit that brings curricula of tolerance and respect for each other’s differences to children in schools and camps.
The project began when Peter heard the song Don’t Laugh At Me and realized it could become an anthem of a movement to help children find their common sensitivity to the painful effects of intolerance, ridicule, and bullying.
Molly McCloskey, past president and C.E.O. of Operation Respect, worked tirelessly alongside Peter to expand the program’s reach.
The initiative has been presented to more than ten million children and, in some form, has reached nearly one-third of all elementary and middle schools in America—at least 20,000 schools in total.
On behalf of Operation Respect, Peter performed from Hong Kong and Vietnam to Croatia, South Africa, Egypt, and Argentina.
His message remains consistent:
“I believe that the work of Operation Respect may be the best way for us to address the great challenges of our time. Educating the next generation of children in such a way that they care about each other, love each other, and treat each other with kindness will create a heart-connected world.”
Supporting Global Orphans and Building Citizens
Peter’s humanitarian efforts extend beyond Operation Respect to his longstanding support of Orphans International Worldwide (OIW), which I founded in 1999 to help raise global citizens in the developing world.
The U.N.-accredited organization operates projects across multiple continents, moving poor orphaned children from warehouse conditions to small homes while working toward foster care systems in the developing world.
I recall meeting Peter in New York and securing his commitment to the cause. After founding Orphans International Worldwide in 1999 to help raise global citizens in the developing world, Peter agreed to help our efforts.
Peter held multiple benefit performances, including his “PBS special” in his own home on Central Park, concerts after the earthquake in Haiti, and performances at Marietta College in my Ohio hometown.
Our organization operates with remarkable efficiency, running projects of 12 children on less than $50,000 per year almost anywhere in the world, with less than 8% spent on administration. Each child is directly supported by four different donors, each contributing $600 annually. Projects span from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and India to Haiti, Peru, and expansion efforts in West Africa, including Nigeria, Togo, Ghana, and Liberia.
The Dalai Lama Connection and Children’s Peace Education
Peter’s encounter with His Holiness the Dalai Lama exemplifies his approach to peace education. He told His Holiness of his admiration for the spiritual leader’s thought and leadership, revealing that he had composed a song based on the Dalai Lama’s words—”Never Give Up.” When Peter played the song to a class of ten-year-olds in Tokyo, some of whom had faced problems with bullying, he explained that if they love each other, people will join them in working for peace.
The children understood profoundly; one child told him that while they didn’t have to accept what a bully had done, they could learn to see the bully as another human being. Peter hoped this would help children become peacemakers at an early age.
His Holiness was effusive in his appreciation, particularly of the idea of making a distinction between what someone has done and the person themselves. Laughing, he showed his gratitude by offering a kata—a white silk scarf—to both Peter Yarrow and his guitar.
Legacy of Social Justice Through Music
Peter’s million-selling illustrated children’s book and CD of Puff, The Magic Dragon has given him a new platform—creating a new path—for folk music to occupy the limelight once again.
Over his half-century career, Peter reached out live to over half a million of what he affectionately calls “co-advocates of positive change.”
His songs call across decades, resonating with a history that he and his musical partners Mary and Paul not only helped write but one that has changed and inspired millions to continue to “keep on keepin’ on,” hold firm to principle, and not be deterred in the face of adversity.
His performances created an environment where a sense of reassuring commonality was shared, at a time when society was deeply concerned for collective welfare and future.
As Bill Bauer, retired McCoy Professor of Education and Leadership at Marietta College and vice president of the J. Luce Foundation, observed: “Marietta College and the greater Marietta area were treated to something larger than Peter’s presence. He allowed several generations of people to join together to forget the mundane of day-to-day concerns and be present in the moment. It was a very spiritual concert that allowed the audience to actively feel a role in this memorable event.”
Peter Yarrow has been recognized by many organizations as well as the U.S. Congress. In 2005, Orphans International Worldwide awarded him their Humanitarian of the Year Award. An unabashed liberal, friend, mentor, and mensch, Peter continued to demonstrate that music remains one of humanity’s most powerful tools for social change and global understanding. He passed away this January at the age of 86. Peter, my brother, you are missed!
Remembering Peter Yarrow, Musician, Mensch and a Mentor (Aug. 11, 2025)
Summary
Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary continues his decades-long commitment to social justice through Operation Respect and Orphans International Worldwide. From performing with the Dalai Lama to supporting orphaned children globally, Yarrow demonstrates how folk music activism endures. His work spans anti-bullying education, global citizenship development, and peace-building, reaching millions of children worldwide while maintaining the humanitarian spirit that defined the 1960s civil rights movement.
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TAGS: peter yarrow, folk music, social justice, operation respect, orphans international, humanitarian work,
peace education, civil rights, music activism, global citizens, dalai lama, anti-bullying, peter paul and mary
