As a band, U2 has become involved with multiple organizations that work with human rights campaigns as well as working with people living in poverty, people living with disease and those who have suffered some sort of social injustice. As well as working as a band to help create a better world, the members of U2 work individually with certain organizations within their communities as well as on a global scale.
Political activism for U2 began in the 1980's when lead singer Bono collaborated with Adam Clayton and participated in an effort to raise money with Band Aid for Ethiopian famine relief. Because of Bono's involvement with the Band Aid effort to raise money for famine relief, the single, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" became a hit! As a follow up to the work that U2 did with Band Aid, U2 played the Live Aid concert in 1985.
After the live aid concert in 1985, U2 decided that the work they had begun in the early 1980's was not enough, and so began their 1986 tour, "A Conspiracy of Hope" which was supporting Amnesty International and Self Aid (an organization working with the unemployed in Ireland). With U2 becoming more involved with political organizations, aid organizations and social organizations, Bono and his wife began travelling to see first hand what they were fighting to create change for. In 1986 when Bono and his wife Ali visit El Salvador, they saw the great damage that the El Salvador civil war had on the residents living throughout the war and this had a great influence on the U2 album, " The Joshua Tree".
In 1992, the band became politically involved again when they played a concert that was involved with Greenpeace, during their Zoo TV tour. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U2#Campaigning_and_activism) During the war in Bosnia, U2 became so inspired that they wrote a song, "Miss Sarajevo", which was first performed at a War Child event. When the band wrote the song in 1993, they made a promise to play it in Sarajevo, and they followed through with this promise when they performed live in Sarajevo, Bosnia in 1997.
When U2 came up with the hit, "Sweetest Thing" in 1998, all of the proceeds went towards supporting The Chernobyl Children's Project (an organization based in Ireland that helps anyone who lives close to and has been affected by the events following Chernobyl.) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_Children%27s_Project_International)
In 2005, U2 performed at the Live 8 concert that took place in London, England. The same year, the band and their manager Paul McGuiness were awarded Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award for their work in promoting human rights, and for fighting for a better world for ALL humans to live in. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U2#Campaigning_and_activism)
Finally, U2 has become highly involved with Project Red, a clothing brand that seeks to raise money for The Global Fund (an organization that raises money to help fight aids, and find a cure for the disease). As well, in 2002, Bono (lead singer) co-founded the multinational NGO, DATA, with the goal to improve political, social and financial state of Africa.
The list could go on forever when talking about the band U2 and the political, social and financial aid that they have helped raised for humans in need. Although they may seem like angels for all of the social work that they do, this work is not always received well by critics of the band. Left wing journalists and journals such as CounterPunch have stated numerous times that celebrities such as Bono should not support political leaders because it may sway the voters in the wrong way, or give people the wrong impression of what the band supports. Other sources have stated and questioned the efficiency and relevancy of Bono and U2's campaigns to relieve debt and provide assistance in Africa.
Whether one has the same beliefs as the band members of U2 or not, it is clear the see that U2 and Bono have been and are leaders when it comes to social action within their own communities as well as on a global scale. Although at times, the work that U2 does may seem a little bit overwhelming and hard to beat, the key thing to remember is that we are all passionate about something that needs to be fixed within our society and there is always a way to help someone in "our own backyard".
To find out more about U2, listen to some of their music as well as check out some of the organizations that they work with, please click the following links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U2#Campaigning_and_activism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WybiA263bw
http://www.one.org/international/
http://www.amnestyusa.org/
http://stevecummins.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/u2.jpg
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