Congressman Raul Grijalva, who has urged conventions to boycott Arizona, is now working with local musicians, including Joey Burns of Calexico and David Slutes of the Sand Rubies, to counter the Sound Strike effort to persuade musicians to boycott Arizona.

Grijalva is supporting Viva Arizona—Artists In Action, a new organization formed to encourage musicians to come to Arizona to mobilize voters to get out the polls in November. Grijalva will be at a press conference on Thursday to talk about Viva Arizona:

Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva and Viva Arizona.org (Artists for Action) are working together to fight Arizona’s anti-immigration laws and help bring artists to the state. They will be hosting a joint press conference on the collaboration and upcoming related events on July 8 at the Beowulf Alley Theater, 11 S. Sixth Ave, at 11:30 a.m. Mountain Standard Time.

Initiated by Joey Burns of Calexico and David Slutes of the Sand Rubies, Artists for Action is a grassroots coalition of artists whose main mission is to bring about change through voter registration and education by connecting artists with local organizations.

“Artists can motivate and encourage action in our communities

and change the direction of our state,” Grijalva said. “I feel very strongly that socially committed artists cannot come to Arizona without addressing the status of human rights in our state, and that is what I hope they will do.”

“Many local artists have been working to fight this law and others like it that stand in the way of civil rights,” said David Slutes of Artists for Action. “Our organization is a coalition of artists standing up for the protection of Arizona’s cultural identity. We will offer support and resources for artists who want to mobilize their fan base and promote civic activism.”