The composer who created "A Mother of a Revolution" is speaking out ahead of Tuesday’s Watertown school board vote on whether students at Watertown High School will be allowed to perform the piece during their spring concert.
The composition has become the center of controversy in the community after some school board members and residents questioned whether the music is appropriate for students because of its connection to the 1969 Stonewall Uprising and a transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson.
Students, like Sophia Anderson, have spent months rehearsing the piece.
“If this isn't allowed, just a simple piece of music, no words... If they can shut that down, what else can they do?” said Anderson.
Board Vice President Sam Ouweneel raised concerns about the piece's subject matter at a recent board meeting.
"My concern is as I was reading about it, it's described specifically as a celebration of Marsha Johnson, who was a cross-dressing prostitute who threw a brick at a police officer," Ouweneel said.
The story, first reported last week by TMJ4, quickly gained national attention — including from the composer himself, Omar Thomas. He shared his reaction to Ouweneel's comment.
“It was intensely reductive and also not surprising. It's spoken like somebody who has never actually learned anything about Marsha,” said Thomas.
Thomas, a composer and professor of composition and jazz studies at the University of Texas-Austin, said he was disappointed but not surprised by the backlash surrounding his work.
“It's really, truly out of the definition of the word ignorance that we're here,” said Thomas.
He composed "A Mother of a Revolution" in 2019. The piece was inspired by the Stonewall Uprising, a series of protests led by LGBTQ+ people in response to police raids in New York City. Thomas dedicated the composition to Marsha P. Johnson, a Black transgender activist associated with the movement.
“I also chose to write about Marsha P Johnson as a black trans woman to just honor the bravery and the strength of the trans people in my life,” said Thomas.
Thomas acknowledged that writing music connected to social issues can draw criticism.
"There's always a quote, unquote, 'danger' of this when you're writing about a topic that has any kind of thorn to it, but the reason it has thorns is because of people's misunderstanding of the trans community," said Thomas.
Thomas said music education played a transformative role in his own life and career.
“Who I am, and the life I enjoy is 100% a product of public school music education,” said Thomas.
Thomas said he believes public arts education should encourage empathy and understanding.
"This is what art has always done, and so I'm proud of these students for handling themselves as beautifully as they have," said Thomas. "Regarding the school board, you know, let these kids play,” said Thomas.
The Watertown school board declined a request for comment ahead of Tuesday’s meeting.
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