In his book, For a Moment We Had THE WAY, Dr. Robinson tells the story of The WAY Community, born of travail from the violence of Aug. 2, 1966, on Minneapolis' North Side. After the community's summer celebration, violence erupted between youth and police. In response, Gov. Rolvaag met with Mayor Naftalin, Sylvester (Syl) Davis, Rev. Rolland Robinson (Calvary Methodist Church), et al., from the community to deal directly with germane issues. Syl Davis and Rollie Robinson immediately went to get some youth for their input. With the twin visions of wonder and reality, seeds for a new community were sown.

Many courageous Minneapolis leaders from government, business, arts, education et al., stepped up to help. With Ray Plank's help Mayor Naftalin and others created over 500 jobs in 2 days. First the mayor and Ray Plank got a building purchased; 2nd the youth helped clean and paint 'their' building, named The Way by the youth and 3rd the North Side now had a visioning center to deal with hunger, prejudice, Black History, and vocational training, plus control of their streets. With their small army of fund raisers, community advocates and volunteers to carry out their new vision, The Way inspired many innovations including the Black History Dept. (U of MN), Antioch Univ. for African Studies, their own neighborhood patrol, et al.

Among the creative responses The Way Singers were formed. The fully integrated ensemble, created by The Way's Roy Lockett and the composer, sang on WCCO TV and at many Twin Cities locations to fund raise and for positive publicity.

For this composition the composer used his own recollections plus information from Robinson's book to create lyrics including the poem, The River Runs Near. Here I give grateful acknowledgement to Dr. Robinson, a lifelong friend, for his dedication to The WAY Community and for his book. The Way's small army of women and men creating steady hope and vision inspired by faith 'carried' people of The WAY and the City of Minneapolis through some very difficult times. I feel honored to retell this important story of their vision for a 'new heaven' and for a 'new earth.'

‘Cause He Wanted Freedom
Lyric based on information from For a Moment We Had THE WAY, Robinson, Rolland, 2006. Used by permission.

Terror

Terror besieged the Negro in ‘sixty-six. Minneapolis leaders gave of themselves for the cause of freedom, to the cause of freedom.

The River Runs Near

Though the river runs near us, yet we thirst.
Children of children traverse the crag filled land
whose sharp edges tear at our feet, our lands, our feet,
our clothes, our children, our spirits.

Plymouth Ave.

‘Twas August in the long hot summer of sixty-six, as the Northside celebration ended quietly. Then a spark of trouble, then quiet. The police arrive, the youth taunted them. Soon bottles and bricks were thrown at cars, at police, then a crash resounded, violence exploded.

The River Runs Near (pt. 2)

Though the river runs near us, yet we thirst.
We see the dry creek bed of shriveled jobs
“we need work”
We feel the arrid landscape of exhausted hope
“for hungry children”
We feel the thorn bush at every turn with it’s thorns of prejudice
Equality!
Thorns of poverty
The children
Thorns of hunger
We must find a way!

Our parched throats cry out for healing water
Our thorn wounds beg for ointment, for healing balm.

Hope for the WAY Community
Lyric based on For a Moment We Had THE WAY, Robinson, Rolland, 2006.
Used by permission.

“The River Runs Near” was commissioned as part of the 2018 Source SongBook, celebrating the festival’s 5th anniversary. It was premiered on August 5th 2018 at Westminster Hall in Minneapolis, MN by Tracey Engleman, soprano, Jacob Christopher, tenor, Alan Dunbar bass-baritone, & Mary Jo Gothmann, piano.

I enjoyed the way the story was told throughout this group of songs. They were fun to prepare and not difficult to put together— fun contrasts between the jazzy songs and the more flowing ones! -MJG

The contralto only sings in the last movement of this work. Although it is marked contralto, any treble voice could sing it as the range is basically an octave from E4-E5. The tenor and contralto line are basically parallel with syncopated rhythms between the two lines. -TE

For Source Song Festival, Towler wears the composer hat. For decades he wore several musical hats including the professional singer hat, singing an extensive repertoire of oratorios, opera and art songs. He also sang duet recitals with his son, John. Recently he sang a recital premiering 5 of his compositions.

Wearing his composer hat, he created many choral premieres for the MN Center Chorale who recently commissioned his When Music Sounds for choir and orchestra – a truly sonorous adventure.

When Source song invited Towler to bring his song cycle to the 2015 Songfest, the audience enthusiastically responded to the delightful music in I Play Flute. Then the 2018 Source Songfest commissioned Towler to create The River Runs Near Us for contralto, tenor and baritone. This powerful song engendered praise for its portrayal of courageous Minneapolis leaders who fought for the city’s North Side Community in the late 1960s via The Way Community Center. Towler’s lyric is drawn from his connection to The Way Singers (he was co-founder) and Rolland Robinson’s book about The Way. The song vividly portrays the terror felt by communities of color because of ‘Jim Crow’ Laws and the subsequent pain of the people.

For this composition the composer used his own recollections plus information from Robinson's book to create lyrics including the poem, The River Runs Near. Here I give grateful acknowledgement to Dr. Robinson, a lifelong friend, for his dedication to The WAY Community and for his book. The Way's small army of women and men creating steady hope and vision inspired by faith 'carried' people of The WAY and the City of Minneapolis through some very difficult times. Text Here.