“Don’t Expect Much More” – from Promised Land: a Voting Rights Folk Opera

Anna unpacks the stark realities of living as a black woman in a pre-Civil War free state that still practices voter suppression and tolerates racism.

Promised Land: a Voting Rights Folk Opera –
In the 1850s, abolitionist Gerrit Smith (with John Brown, Frederick Douglass and others) gave away over 120,000 acres of Adirondack farmland to 3,000 free blacks in an attempt to fulfill New York State’s onerous property requirement necessary for blacks to vote. This opera brings this complex struggle to life with deeply emotional melodies, driving 19th century dance rhythms and the dramatic struggle for racial equality and inclusive democracy.

Audio Recording –