Like communities throughout the Bay Area and across the globe, Mill Valley has had a long overdue reckoning over the past year about the lack of racial equity in town, from affordable housing and cultural opportunities to interaction with law enforcement and much more.

Reed Fromer, a renowned, longtime local musician, music teacher, bandleader, choral instructor, recording artist and the son of local soccer legend Dave Fromer, is among those actively participating in that reckoning. Reed Fromer has served as a coordinator of Martin Luther King Day programs and guest lectured on civil rights, protest music, and affirmative action for middle school, high school, and collegiate classes.

On Thursday, July 22 at the O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Fromer is holding a book signing and mini-concert in support of his new book, Race Track: The Blond Spot of Privilege. The tome uses an engaging parable within a sports arena to examine the dynamics of institutional racism and the logical and moral basis of affirmative action. 

When a talented high school athlete discovers that his inability to compete in certain track & field events traces to a glaring flaw in the system, he devises a mechanism to address the problem – only to come up against a sports world firmly entrenched in tradition and fiercely resistant to change. As he persists in his struggle, he discovers the fulfillment of standing up for equality – and, years later, discovers a new application for that urge within him.