Human Be-In
The Human Be-In was a happening that took place in San Francisco 's Golden Gate Park on the afternoon and evening of January 14, 1967 . It marked the beginning of the " Summer of Love ".
The Human Be-In focused on the ideas of the hippie movement of the 1960s : individualism , cultural and political decentralization , communal living , environmental awareness and the expansion of consciousness .
The term Human Be-In comes from Beat Generation artist and co-founder of the San Francisco Oracle Michael Bowen; the accidental designation combined humanistic values with the large number of sit - ins that transformed college and university practices, eradicating the last vestiges of entrenched racial segregation.
The Human Be-In was announced on the front page of the San Francisco Oracle as "A Gathering of the Tribes for a Human Be-In," published in the fifth issue of February 1967. Speakers at the rally included Timothy Leary , who wrote the motto of the afternoon with his famous line "Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out" and Richard Alpert (later better known as Ram Dass ). But poets such as Allen Ginsberg , who chanted mantras , and Gary Snyder also attended. Other famous participants were Dick Gregory , Leonore Kandel and Jerry Rubin . Also represented were the Hells Angels . Local rock bands like the Grateful Dead or Quicksilver Messenger Service provided the music .
There is still conflicting information about the number of visitors, but it is assumed that there were 20,000 to 30,000 people. Nevertheless, the impact of the Human Be-In was great: the hippie movement that was able to present itself at the Human Be-In encouraged people to question authorities with regard to civil rights , women's rights and consumer rights . In addition, alternative media were created and new paths were taken in music and art ; technologically , this eventually led to the Digital Be-Ins in the 1990s .