Freedom Riders!
Days of summer are almost upon us!
But even bigger news than that - I am thrilled to announce that I will be performing in the play Freedom Rider at the Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick, NJ from June 10-June 26th!!!
Why is that such a big deal? Let me back up.
March 9th of this year I ventured out from the pandemic cocoon that has kept Josh and me safe and moved to Montgomery, Alabama for two months to rehearse and perform the premiere run of Freedom Rider at the prestigious Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
I was grateful to have a job, a gig, a contract doing a real show in a real theatre with real people in the audience. As an artist, so much of the work that we do is just that, a job that we are more than happy to have. But this ‘gig’ was more than that - it was a life changing experience. On rare occasions the work marries artistry with activism. Creativity with service and purpose. Freedom Rider is one of those shows.
Freedom Rider deals with the young civil rights activists who bravely went on a mission in 1961 to desegregate bus terminals in the South. They traveled to countless towns throughout the region and faced endless resistance. Though they had a staunch non-violent approach, they were often met with physical attacks, truly putting their lives on the line for their cause.
The play was directed by the legendary Ricardo Khan (Artistic Director, Crossroads Theatre Company), who co-wrote it with a diverse group of playwrights meant to reflect the diversity of the Freedom Riders themselves.
It was an honor to perform in such an important work, but the experience went much deeper than that. The cast also got to visit the museums and historical locations of Montgomery, a city perhaps more crucial than any other to the civil rights struggles of the 1950s-60s. Everywhere you stepped there was history. Even more incredibly, the cast got to meet and talk with actual Freedom Riders, as well as the family of the late Freedom Rider and U.S. Representative John Lewis, a civil rights icon.
Cassandra Ogbozor plays a Freedom Rider from Philadelphia.
Perhaps the highlight was a visit from the great Dr. Bernard Lafayette, an original Freedom Rider (and college roommate of Congressman Lewis). Dr. Lafayette attended one of our performances and then, on the same stage, sat for a fascinating interview about his life. Afterwards, the cast got to meet and talk with him. What a treat. A real Freedom Fighter!
Mugshot of Freedom Rider, Bernard Lafayette in 1961
Dr. Lafayette told many stories from his Freedom Rider days, including one about when he was beaten by an angry mob in Birmingham. Though he practiced passive resistance – attempting to bond with rather than assault his attackers - the other side was not so gracious and he was left with three broken ribs.
Dr. Lafayette also told the story of another time he was confronted while with friend and fellow Freedom Rider James Lawson. A bunch of angry young white men in black leather jackets came up to them, yelling and hurling insults. Then one of the men spat right in Lawson’s face. But instead of reacting with anger, Lawson calmly paused and then asked the man for a handkerchief. Amazingly, the man reached in his pocket and gave him one. Lawson wiped off his face and gave him back the handkerchief. Then, noticing the hot rod the man had been driving, Lawson started asking him how many cylinders the engine had. Soon they were talking back forth about cars. Eventually the young men lost their anger, got back in their cars, and left. Lawson had succeeded by finding the common ground that the Freedom Riders were always taught to pursue.
Mugshot of James Lawson 1961
Dr. Lafayette’s story left me with chills running throughout my body. The discipline and the spiritual fortitude it takes to hold someone’s humanity while they are denying yours left an indelible impression on my psyche. I was inspired and left wondering what impact such an approach would have had on the protests of today. Or on our tribalistic society as a whole. When was the last time one side really tried to understand the other rather than react with despondency or rage? What would happen if today’s hate was met with the universal love and understanding of yesterday’s freedom fighters?
“Please tell the attorney general that we have been cooling off for 350 years. If we call off anymore, we will be in a deep freeze. The freedom ride will go on.”
The Freedom Riders were ordinary heroes. Most of them never got famous, never went into politics, never had a flashy career. They were everyday people that believed in change. And even though you can learn about them in books and museums, they still are not as well-known and respected as they deserve.
Which is why one of the best parts of performing the show in Alabama was seeing young people in the audience who were likely learning about the Freedom Riders for the first time – and were affected by the fact that the main characters were as young or not much older than they were.
But really the show appeals to people of any generation, full of enough humor and music to keep it from being just a stoic history lesson. It’s heavy but uplifting, sad but hilarious. It’s entertaining, while still giving the Freedom Riders’ story the respect it deserves.
It was an honor being able to spread the message of the Freedom Riders in Alabama and it is an honor now to be able to do it again. If you are anywhere near New Brunswick, NJ (home of Rutgers University) between June 10-26, get a ticket, come and be inspired by one of the most powerful and under-acknowledged movements of non-violent protest in the entire world.
Cast of Freedom Rider with Tony award winning director Ricardo Khan.
Come be a part of history!
