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Hands Across America

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Hands Across America
Hands Across America - Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin Parkway/Philadelphia Art Museum - May 25, 1986
DatesMay 25, 1986
Location(s)Across the contiguous United States
FoundersKen Kragen
Websitehandsacrossamerica.org[1]

Hands Across America was a public fundraising event on Sunday, May 25, 1986, when 5 million to 6.5 million people held hands for 15 minutes in an ostensible attempt to form a continuous human chain across the contiguous United States.[1][2]

Many participants donated $10 each to reserve their place in line. The proceeds were donated to local charities to fight hunger and homelessness and help those in poverty.

The event raised about $15 million for charities after operating costs.

Cities

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Hands Across America
Gaithersburg, Maryland, participating in "Hands Across America" in May 1986.

Cities along the route included the following:

The event was conceived and organized by Ken Kragen. Event implementation was through USA for Africa under the direction of Marty Rogol, the founding Executive Director. A theme song, titled "Hands Across America," was played simultaneously on hundreds of radio stations at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time (noon Pacific time). The song was written by Marc Blatte, John Carney, and Larry Gottlieb, and featured lead vocals by session singers Joe Cerisano and Sandy Farina, and the band Toto. The song peaked at #65 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986.

Hands Across America was a project of USA for Africa. USA for Africa produced "We Are the World" and the combined revenues raised by both events raised almost $100 million to fight famine in Africa and hunger and homelessness in the United States.

The date and time chosen for the event inadvertently conflicted with another charity fundraiser, Sport Aid, which was organized by USA for Africa on the same day. Since Hands Across America was much better publicized in the United States, only 4000 runners participated in New York City for Sport Aid.

Continuity of the chain

In order to allow the maximum number of people to participate, the path linked major cities and meandered back and forth within the cities.[citation needed] Just as there were sections where the "line" was six to ten people deep, there were also undoubtedly many breaks in the chain. However, enough people participated that if an average of all the participants had been taken and spread evenly along the route standing four feet (1.2 m) apart, an unbroken chain across the 48 contiguous states would have been able to be formed.[citation needed]

Legacy

Hands Across America raised $34 million. According to The New York Times, only about $15 million was distributed after deducting operating costs.[4]

The event figures significantly in the plot of the 2019 American horror film Us, directed by Jordan Peele.

References

  1. ^ Wolf, Buck. "Great Shakes: 'Hands Across America' 20 Years Later". ABC News.
  2. ^ NYT Now - The New York Times
  3. ^ "PAPA DOO RUN RUN - California Beach Party Band - Beach Boys tribute band, Re-creating the hits of the Beach Boys, Classic Rock, Surf music, Surf band, California Music - it's all there".
  4. ^ Adeel Hassan (May 25, 2016). "Your Wednesday Briefing". The New York Times. Retrieved May 25, 2016.

Further reading

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