Equality Is More than a Word

March 1, 2025

Dave Pomeroy  -  International Vice President and President of Local 257 (Nashville, TN)

The musician community has always been in the forefront of social justice and the ongoing quest for equality. Songs can express complex issues and emotions in ways that cross all boundaries. The music we make has the emotional power to take very different people to a common place.

Now more than ever, women in the music business have led the way to new forms of expression artistically, emotionally, and on the business side as well. Kris Wilkinson, who is on this month’s IM cover is a great example. We have known each other for more than 40 years. She inspires those around her, and has created a wonderful body of work that continues to evolve.

A big part of who I am today is because of how I was raised by my mom, Carol, and influenced by my big sister, Diane. My dad, Robert, was an Air Force pilot who flew in Korea and Vietnam, worked in the Pentagon, and taught air strategy at various military institutions. A consequence of Dad’s many assignments and strong work ethic, was that he was gone a lot. My mother had the challenging assignment of raising three kids in his absence for much of our childhood.

She always put us first and made sure that everyone had what they needed before taking care of herself. I will forever be grateful for her dedication to Dad and our family, and her patience and tolerance with me, especially in my teenage years. Both of my older siblings became acclaimed lawyers, but I took a different path, and she was supportive of my unexpected decision to become a musician.

After Dad’s retirement, she worked as a tour guide in the DC area and used her extensive knowledge of history to entertain and educate thousands of tourists. She always gave me the confidence to believe in myself when no one else did. When she passed in 2022 at age 95, she had lived a full life.

As the youngest child, I always looked up to my sister Diane and our big brother Bob Jr., for many reasons. All of us respected Mom, who could have had a career of her own, but chose to keep her focus on taking care of us. Diane came of age in the late 1960s/early 1970s during the women’s liberation movement. She was in the first class of women to be admitted to the University of Virginia, after 150 years of all men, and among the first dozen women to be admitted to William & Mary Law School, after nearly 200 years of exclusion. In 2003, she was named “Citizen of the Year” in her adopted hometown of Portsmouth, Virginia, for her work with battered, abused, and homeless women in their community. She is now a District Judge for the City of Portsmouth. If there were to be a vacancy on the US Supreme Court, I would recommend her in a heartbeat. She is smart, compassionate, fair, and one of the finest people I have ever known. Her example of breaking down barriers inspired me to follow my own dreams and become a professional musician, and eventually be elected as a representative of AFM musicians all over the US and Canada.

The time for equality on all levels is here and now, and it’s up to all of us to manifest it. I am grateful to all the women who have stepped into leadership roles within the AFM and all over our country. We would be remiss to diminish their invaluable contributions in any way.

We are all equal, and we all have power. When we work together, that power increases exponentially. Let’s lift each other up in every way we can, and leave discrimination and prejudice behind, once and for all. Happy Women’s History Month!

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