Dear friend
These next few weeks are full of remembrance of American Heritage. That heritage is built on the confluence of so many cultures. Our founders Loretta Dranoff, Martin Bookspan and Ruth Greenfield, all Americans in red white and blue, founded the Dranoff as an organization attracting international artists and giving space to those influences. Our home in Miami Florida is at the tip of the United States, a nexus for global music, both historically and today.
Today June 14 is flag day when in 1777, the United States decided we would be represented under one flag. And Saturday, June 19 is Juneteenth recognizes both the enslavement of people with black African heritage and the national efforts to rectify this oppression. Originated in Texas on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, the army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state were free by executive decree.
All work in progress. Understanding our past is the only way to progressing into a better tomorrow.
Warmly,
Gabriele Fiorentino
President,
The Dranoff 2 Piano Foundation
Piano Slam
