Small Acts of Courage/Warriors Don’t Cry
Revisiting events over 50 years ago was a powerful experience for myself and for many in the audience Wednesday evening, January 18th, at Portland Ovations’ production of Warriors Don’t Cry. Even those of us who participated in some aspect of that movement were not recipients of the most ugly and threatening treatment portrayed so vividly by actress Almeria Campbell. What made this event especially important was the involvement of students from King Middle School who have been studying the Civil Rights movement this year. For them, history came to life. For us older folk, history was relived. Everyone surely left with renewed determination that this aspect of our history must never be repeated on a national, local or personal scale.
Julia Adams
Class of 1958
Greensboro High School (North Carolina)
David Barham says:
Hello~
I want to thank you once again for today’s performance of Warriors Don’t Cry. It was such a moving experience for our students on so many levels. The intensity of the story and the history it represents was a powerful reminder of the darkness our country struggled against not that long ago. The students were speaking about how hard it is to accept and understand that this was the reality in the United States. Additionally, the intensity of the performance by Almeria Campbell was also incredibly moving. She was such an artistic inspiration. Right now, I am directing our 9th and 10th graders in a play to be performed next week (Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses) and so for those young actors to see such a fully realized performance was a gift.
Thank you again and we look forward to being equally moved and inspired at future performances.
Yours,
David Barham
Nicole d'Entremont says:
The civil rights movement in the American South of the 60’s depended so much on the youth of both the North and the South so it was wonderful to see the young people of King Middle school speaking with knowledge, authority and conviction about what they had learned in their research. The torch really has been passed to them and their generation to continue this struggle and so it was heartening to see how they took their role as historians seriously and wonderful also that they had the chance to see such an impassioned performance by
Alimeria Campbell who embodied so well all the conflicting passions of that time. Bravo to all.
Barbara thomson says:
We LOVED the pre-performance event and the performance as well. Both were very powerful. Not only is this important history for all to know about, but it also relates directly to the present day and the lessening of integrated schools throughout our country. I commend to everyone Beverly Tatum’s latest book, Can We Talk About Race, which speaks eloquently to this topic.