INTRODUCTION FROM CONCERT CURATOR CAITLIN LYNCH
Tonight is a celebration of the strength of women. Inspired by the legacy of Sojourner Truth and her famous “Ain’t I a Woman” speech at the 1851 Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, OH, this program is a meditation - literally and figuratively - on the deep well of ingenuity, wisdom, and grit of women across time and around the globe.
I was moved to create space to celebrate and reflect on the strength and resilience of women in the midst of a year in which the myriad of setbacks faced by women has been well-documented. Just before the pandemic hit, there were more women employed in the US than men for the first time in history. During the pandemic, female workforce participation has dropped to its lowest level since 1988. 4,637,000 payroll jobs were lost by women as of January of this year. With lack of childcare and schools closed, families with children have frequently been forced to choose which parent will stay home. Since men are paid more than women at every education level, and the decision facing many families has been an economic one, women have overwhelmingly been the ones to leave the workforce with an unemployment rate at twice that among men. Black and latinx women have been hit the hardest, with unemployment rates for the two groups measuring higher than all other demographics. Economists estimate that employment for women may not recover to pre-pandemic levels until 2024—two full years after a recovery for men. A July Washington Post article estimated that these losses will set progress toward gender equality back by a generation. It is no surprise that these figures have led to a mental-health crisis: nearly 70% of mothers said they’ve experienced adverse health effects due to worry and stress during the pandemic. Headlines such as “Working moms are reaching the breaking point” have piled up. The New York Times even ran a series that examined the pandemic’s effect on working mothers in America. The title? “The Primal Scream.”
A steady stream of these statistics throughout the past year certainly has not been easy to stomach. And yet, all around me, I’ve simultaneously witnessed the incalculable strength of women. Women who’ve come together to support one another. Women whose efforts and creativity have been a source of healing in our communities. Women who have been the glue holding their families together during this tumultuous time. Women who have achieved extraordinary things, all while under these extraordinary circumstances. Women who have chosen to find authentic joy where it could be found and fought to make things better where it couldn’t. I wanted to honor the strength, resilience, and tenacity of these women. And not only these women but the women who came for generations before us, providing the foundation we stand on. I did it in the best and only way I knew how - through music. Through the powerful voices of extraordinary female composers, performed by some of the strongest, most brilliant, and generous women I know.
Along the journey, I was fortunate to meet Meredith Bergmann, the sculptor behind the Boston Women’s Memorial, where I now stand. Much of her work depicts women who reflect the epitome of strength. Photographs of her timely and timeless statuary will be featured throughout the concert. These photographs will be accompanied by the words of goddesses from across history, curated and read by the Crier women that made tonight’s concert possible both on and off stage.
When I first envisioned where to play this musical meditation, I was drawn to the cathedral Church of St. Paul in downtown Boston because of the labyrinth on its floor. The labyrinth is an ancient pattern found in many cultures around the world, dating back some 5000 years. It is used for walking meditation along a single circuitous path that winds its way to the center as a way to quiet the mind, open the heart, and ground the body. Photographs of Meredith’s art, coupled with inspiring words of women read by Criers, will be followed by a moment of quiet with visuals of the Church’s stunning labyrinth. I invite you to join us during these interludes for a moment of reflection between pieces.
Thank you for joining us on this journey.
