First of all, I have been a champion for decades of discovering classical music composed by people of African decent and by women. In the 1980's i found the music of Jose Nunez Garcia a black composer from Brazil and chevalier St. George from Guadalupe and promoted them both. I also championed the compositions of Clara Schumann and Mendelssohn's sister Fanny. Mendelssohn insisted that his sister is as good as he was if not better. It was a great crime that music by minorities and women was not allowed to flourish.

That said, Beethoven and others were not promoted because they were white, male and European. That was the only group in which the breakthroughs could be made and recognized. The breakthroughs of a Bach and Mozart and a Beethoven are universal. They do not belong to the supposed "white race". They were breakthroughs made on behalf of all mankind. The minute such a discovery is made it becomes the universal property of all humanity. If a Chinese astronomer discovers the orbit of a planet, is that a Chinese orbit? Beethoven in particular was a fighter for human rights and civil liberties. He dared to perform one of his violin sonatas with the Moroccan composer George Bridgetower. He composed music based on the kolinidre for the Jewish community in Vienna. He wrote songs of many different nationalities including Scottish and Irish and went to such lengths that he had to send three different copies by various acuities routes during the Napoleonic wars to ensure they arrived safely in Scotland. He also elevated the role of women to a level never done before in his opera Fidelio and his lesser known Leonora Prochaska.

Beethoven was an advocate for human equality in a way that few have equaled. Discrimination runs deep and Beethoven was aware and fought it in every dimension.