Aiding the refugee crisis through song

‘No Safe Place’ sales benefit United Nations campaign

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Musician Roger Street Friedman, of Sea Cliff, is lending his musical talents to benefit a cause greater than himself — aiding 65 million refugees.
Over the summer, Friedman partnered with the USA for United Nations’ High Commission for Refugees, to develop a virtual campaign that donates a dollar for every download of Friedman’s song “No Safe Place.”
Since its launch last week, the campaign has raised almost $3,000 to aid refugees displaced by war, gang violence, disease, famine and weather.
“No Safe Place” was featured on Friedman’s second album, “Shoot The Moon.” He said that a new version of the track was produced specifically for the campaign.
“The song was originally written about migrants from South America, about these children traveling all alone to escape violence in Honduras and El Salvador,” Friedman said. “Many of them were unaccompanied — riding on the tops of trains, crossing rivers by themselves, some dying in the desert.”

He said that while he was writing “No Safe Place,” in 2014 the Syrian-European refugee crisis blew up. “That conflict caused 5 million people to flee, and the images coming out of there were so heart-wrenching that the song sort of morphed into a song about all migrants and all refugees.”
After Friedman wrote the song, he worked with award-winning director Laura Crosta to develop visuals to accompany it. Crosta produced a four-minute video with footage of refugees.
“After hearing his direction, I created a treatment describing how I would bring this concept to life,” Crosta said. “The response has been great. The refugee crisis needs constant help, and I hope this video can continue to inspire donations that will get to the people that need it most.” Since its launch, the video has been viewed more than 79,000 times.
After producing the video, Friedman reached out to refugee organizations, including the USA for United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
“I was very impressed with the work they do,” he said, “and they were incredibly receptive and thought it was very powerful.”
“We are honored that Roger wants to support the plight of refugees through his music,” said Anne-Marie Grey, executive director and CEO of USA for UNHCR. “When people like Roger connect their passion and work to our mission, the plight of nearly 66 million people gets shared widely. Through generous contributions like these, millions of refugees are able to find safety, regain dignity and build new lives.”
Friedman added that USA for UNHCR is in talks with the world U.N. refugee agency in Copenhagen about using the campaign in its fundraising efforts.
“If you have some talent or expertise to lend to a cause, [you] can leverage that to widen how much can be raised — not only money, but awareness,” he said.
Friedman said that although the refugee crisis has been out of the news, it has not ended. “Whatever the latest Donald Trump tweet is takes over the headlines, and now these people are sort of forgotten,” he said.
“It seems like a no-brainer,” he continues. “There are plenty of resources in the world to help these people. The answer is not just closing our borders and saying, ‘Go home.’”
Friedman, who has a 10-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son, said they are fortunate to grow up in a nurturing environment, unthreatened by large-scale war and violence. “I couldn’t imagine having to uproot them and leave everything behind to run for our lives,” he said.

To donate to the campaign, go to www.classy.org/fundraiser/1152203.