As the custodian of the legacies of Kurt Weill and Marc Blitzstein, the trustees and staff of the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music embrace both composers' lifelong commitment to social and economic justice, equality, and inclusion, as well as their all-encompassing compassion and crusade for human dignity. Words often fail in the face of systemic injustice, but perhaps their works can inspire us to listen to one another more empathetically, thereby helping to heal our ailing nation and planet.
And we can imagine Weill and Blitzstein alive today, giving voice to those who have too long been silenced or ignored. They would surely be writing songs we need to hear: songs of pain and anger and outrage; satire but also chants and hymns; ballads but also anthems and marches. Songs that would inspire courage, empathy, and togetherness. Songs about the communities that are suffering most and the issues that confront us all: the global pandemic, unemployment, social and political injustice, racism, prejudice, police brutality. Songs that would indeed Cry, OUR Beloved Country.
The Trustees have convened a special committee to reaffirm vigorously the Foundation's commitment to addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.
--Langston Hughes, 1901-1967
Originally posted: 8 June 2020
Last updated: 19 May 2021