Dear Friends, You may recall that PFW gave a grant to California composer and tireless fighter for civil and social justice, Mr. Daniel Rothman. We are happy to share his composition with you! Daniel Rothman is a Classical Music Composer, Video/Sound Installation Artist and ART ACTIVIST. He has written a score for harp that expresses his concern over social justice issues. He has found that there is a disconnect and resistance these days to those difficult themes in the classical musical milieu. This piece is composed for a solo harp. The harp is a beautiful instrument with a lovely tone, its mechanism for changing itch involves pedaling and this piece involves an intricate pedal patter to create a kind of dance, much like minstrelsy. For this piece the feet on the video which are “black-faced” belong to Alison Bjorkedal, who courageously took it on. This classical piece of music integrates theatre, performance art and video It piece is entitled Freddie’s Feet – in memoriam Freddie Gray (1989-2015), whose death was the result of a spinal injury suffered during transport by the Baltimore Police, who had taken custody of him under questionable circumstances. 
See it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Freddie’s Feet plays on the denigrating clichés and stereotypes that have persisted in our society through forms of entertainment, like minstrelsy. The dehumanizing prejudice and discrimination that it licenses comes not only at the cost of its victim’s lives: when it does not result in death, it lives in misery and the degradation of us all.
(excerpt of Ned Haverly performing the Sand Dance in “Yes Sir, Mr. Bones” 1951, Kit Parker Films)
