FRIDAY JUNE

Typography of Women Honors Juneteenth 2021 by Presenting a Dramatic Enactment of Letter From A Birmingham Jail: If Martin Luther King, Jr. Were Here Today And The Spirit of African Dance in America

On this year’s Juneteenth weekend, Saturday, June 19th and Sunday, June 20th, Typography of Women will stream over Face Book a dramatic enactment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s iconic commentary on racial injustice in his “Letter From A Birmingham Jail,” written during his 11 days of imprisonment in Birmingham, Alabama, dated April 16, 1963. It is considered by many to be a benchmark moment in the civil rights movement of the 1960’s.

Dr. King’s letter is as relevant today as it was in 1963 amid protests of police brutality, unfair wages, inadequate housing and outright discrimination illustrated by the “White Only” signs in hotels, motels, and restaurants and segregated seating on busses. The letter is six full type-written pages that were ultimately published into a small book for distribution.

Typography of Women’s production acknowledges this relevancy by bringing two Dr. King’s to the stage. The King of 1963 and the King of 2021 supporting the Black Lives Movement and its declaration that police brutality and the racial injustice that prevails in our nation must stop. Both civil rights movements were held together by a cross section of people, across all ages and races as we witness today watching the Black Lives. Matter peaceful protests. Dr. King also stated that Freedom songs were/are integral to the movement offering strength, courage, and comfort to his followers and allies.

In this production, actor, poet, musician, Brandon Williamson portrays Dr. King, 2021 and the multitalented Gabriel Robere delivers the portrayal of Dr. King, 1963. Mary Craig, a long-standing, respected member of our theater community offers the Freedom songs accompanied by another highly regarded musician, Abdul Rahman Qadir. The production also showcases the musical talent of Lorenzo Parnell, a talented young stage performer from our own Queen City.

Following the Birmingham Letter presentation, Ntare Gault, PhD, a poet, playwright, and author will lead a conversation on Dr. King’s letter that will be open to anyone on Face Book who would like to participate in the discussion. Although born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Ntare is now a lecturer at Arizona State University in Africana Studies, where his wife, Erica Gault, PhD, is also a professor.

On this year’s Juneteenth weekend, Saturday, June 19th and Sunday, June 20th, Typography of Women will stream over Face Book a dramatic enactment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s iconic commentary on racial injustice in his “Letter From A Birmingham Jail,” hosted by Just Buffalo Literary Center as part of their 2021 Babel Series. His novel, The Water Dancer, takes place in pre-civil war America and centers on Hiram Walker, a mixed-race slave who possesses superhuman powers that allow him to transport himself and others across vast geographic distances (conduction). This ability is triggered by thoughts of his mother who was taken and sold when he was a young boy and he discovers he can remember her and see her dancing in water as a result of his superpower and his gift of a photographic memory. He meets and gets involved with Moses (Harriet Tubman) and the Underground Railroad. Robin and Griot Saar will offer some insight and history on the spiritual connection of traditional African dance and its layers of rhythms in African song and dance.

Both presentations are free, Face Book live events and made possible with a grant from Just Buffalo Literary Center Civil Writes Project and in-kind support from the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center. Typography of Women is a project created by artist and arts advocate Celeste M. Lawson as a vehicle to express aspects of the human condition through the cultural arts. Typography of Women’s production of Letter From A Birmingham Jail: If Martin Luther King, Jr. Were Here Today, was conceived and directed by Celeste M. Lawson.

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