i. Geraldine Pindell Trotter
     ii. Anna Clapp Harris Smith
     iii. Alice Stone Blackwell
     iv. Ann and Betty
     v. Clapp Farm

It was really the name of the orchestra, “Boston Landmarks Orchestra,” that was the starting point for my writing the poetry and music to A Walk In Her Shoes. The idea that the orchestra referenced landmarks unique to Boston got me thinking about the history of the area, the place and meaning of individuals important to the region and culture at large. Additionally, I knew I wanted to write a piece that would celebrate the centennial of the passing of the 19^th Amendment, legislation that would enable women to vote. The Boston Women’s Heritage Trail (https://bwht.org) provided inspiration and a map showing multiple landmarks, places where landmark women had lived in and around Boston. This seemed the perfect place to start, and in particular, the Dorchester Women’s Heritage Trail (https://bwht.org/dorchester/) was rich in history and inspiration.

I began by writing the poetry and knew the work would be for two solo singers and orchestra. The first poem and symphonic song is about Geraldine Pindell Trotter (1872-1918). An integral member of Boston’s African American community, “Deenie” Trotter was the accountant and associate editor of The Guardian, the Boston civil rights newspaper, and she worked closely with her husband in forwarding racial justice. The poem refers to The Guardian, and the “icy downpour” mentioned at the poem’s start alludes to the grim weather on the day Deenie was to deliver one of her most famous speeches. Coincidentally, she too was celebrating a centennial – her speech honored the centenary of the birth of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. My poem quotes several of her trenchant lines from that speech; the turbulence and sweep of the music reflects the greyness of the day, her passion and challenge to the public.

The second poem and symphonic song is about Anna Clapp Harris Smith (1843-1937). Also a resident of Dorchester, she founded the Animal Rescue League. Deeply dismayed by the sight of stray and abandoned cats and dogs suffering in the streets of Boston, she wrote a letter to the Boston Evening Transcript describing the plight of strays and the need for a shelter for their rescue. Her letter received more than 60 positive responses, culminating in the first meeting of the Animal Rescue League of Boston. The music here is buoyant and optimistic and begins with a setting of a quote from seven-year-old Anna. The following line, “kindness uplifts the world” comes from the forward of the children’s book, Four-Footed Friends, she would later write as an adult. Her book is a collection of stories written to teach kindness toward animals.

Alice Stone Blackwell (1857-1950) is the subject of the third poem and song. A prominent feminist, suffragist and journalist, she was instrumental in paving the way toward the passage of the 19^th Amendment. The quotes I incorporated into this poem are largely based on her treatise Why Women Should Vote, in which she takes on many of the spurious questions asked in opposition to women’s suffrage. The music is pointed and determined, as Stone Blackwell argues the vote not only benefits women but society as a whole. In addition to being the chief editor of the Woman’s Journal until 1917, Stone Blackwell also translated and published several volumes of verse including Armenian Poems (1896 and 1916), Songs of Russia (1906), and Songs of Grief and Gladness (1908; from Yiddish).

Much less is known about “Ann and Betty,” two enslaved individuals listed in the Dorchester census of 1754. The fourth poem and song – an introspective, imagined lullaby – is a dialogue between Ann, who died as a child, and Betty, who died at the age of 25. Both are buried at the Old North Burying Ground in Upham’s Corner. They are known only by their first names, and two small headstones mark their graves. African American and “servants” of Colonel Robert Oliver, their anonymity lies in stark contrast to the storied identity of Oliver, a white plantation owner from Antigua. His headstone is in the Old North Burying ground as well, and the disgraceful discrepancy in their lives is felt in how they are acknowledged in death. “Ann and Betty’s” anonymous headstones stand silently, marking not only their graves but also the shameful horror of slavery and racism.

The fifth poem and symphonic song centers on Clapp Farm. Located at 195 Boston St, Dorchester, the Federal farmhouse is now the site of the Dorchester Historical Society.  It was originally constructed in 1806 for tanner William Clapp and his wife Elizabeth Humphreys. The family farm developed into a commercial orchard and dairy, and in addition to its success, it was exceptional in its employment of women. Wives, daughters and hired dairymaids were fundamental to its operation and resulted in prize winning dairy products and produce. In recognition of Clapp Farm, a 12-foot statue of a bronze pear stands in Edward Everett Square in Dorchester. The giant fruit was sculpted and installed to honor “the Clapp’s Favorite,” a unique, hybrid fruit developed on the Clapp Farm.

I conclude A Walk In Her Shoes with this “Favorite,” an image of sweetness and strength. Additionally, I chose to end the cycle with this subject because of the fortuitous name of the family farm that produced it. It seemed fitting to honor the 19^th Amendment with the “Clapp” name, the sound of “clapp-ing” and joy – applause for legislation that, one hopes, brings us a step closer to equality, equity, and justice.

Special thanks to Boston Landmarks Orchestra, soloists Carrie Cheron and Brianna Robinson, Roya Hu and Berklee’s Office for Faculty Development for their support of this premiere.

­ – Francine Trester, 2021

ii. Anna Harris Smith

“When I’m grown up
I’m going to turn
My daddy’s big barn
Into a nice warm home
For all the kitties
And doggies in the world”
Well she grew up
Anna Harris Smith did
Followed through
On her words as a kid
“Kindness Uplifts the world”
Was her motto
“Kindness Uplifts the world”
And she got to
Thinking of the ways
We could rescue our friends
Staggering, stumbling
On four feet
So much rests on our heart
And depends
On how we treat
How we shelter
From the street
The lost
And stray
Find a home
Find a way
Something else
Anna H. Smith knew
When we rescue
The animals
We too
Rescue ourselves
Lift up the world
Raise, stand tall
Big and small
There’s plenty of room
In her Daddy’s big barn
For all
The kitties and doggies in the world
“Kindness uplifts the world”
Was her motto
“Kindness uplifts the world!”