Black Women Speak, Symposium offers Discourse of African American Female Playwrights

Yesterday afternoon, a panel of African-American women playwrights and academicians discussed the socio-political and aesthetic value of black women playwrights across several generations.

Dana Williams, Ph.D., chair of Howard University's department of English, began the symposium with inciting questions and comments that included, with regard to the black aesthetic, "How do we define success?" and "How do we define the margin and the center?"

Other panelists included Dr. Sandra Jowers-Barber of the University of the District of Columbia, Dr. Sandra Shannon and professor Patricia Elam, both professors in Howard's English department and Karen Evans of the Black Women's Playwrights' Group. Playwright and professor Jacqueline Lawton of UDC moderated the event.

Dr. Sandra Jowers-Barber highlighted the importance of historical awareness to the audience with footage from a 1959 interview between Lorraine Hansberry and CBS correspondent Mike Wallace. The interview included controversial dialogue that featured discriminatory questioning from Wallace followed by the then 29-year-old Hansberry.

The symposium continued with Elam who spoke on the transformation of Ntozake Shange's For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf. The discussion was especially relevant given the ongoing production of the popular choreopoem by the Howard University Department of Theatre Arts. Elam spoke highly of Shange's work and criticized Tyler Perry's version, which she believes stripped the work of its universality.

Elam concluded that, "people feel that Perry turned a half-note into an orchestra but I feel that he did just the opposite."

Panelists Shannon and Evans spoke on the dynamics of other black woman playwrights such as Lynn Nottage and emphasized the importance of continuing the storytelling to modern groups. One of the issues urged by the panelists was the need for the theatre and black playwrights to bring in targeted and marginalized audiences that will understand the issues in contemporary black theatre.

Students who attended the discussion appreciated the content and gleaned wisdom from the black women playwrights and professors.

Lesley Olabisi, a junior English major, said "It was really good inspiration. Even though people don't appreciate your work sometimes, you just have to keep pushing."