courage against racism - director
"Who will you invite to join you on our collective journey for justice?"
“Courage Against Racism: An Evening of Readings from Voices of a Peoples History” was an event that raised $25,000 for Black Lives Matter. “Voices of a People’s History of the United States” is a companion performance to historian Howard Zinn’s legendary book, A People’s History of the United States. Organized by White People for Black Lives-Los Angeles.
“Courage Against Racism” was about remembering, rehearsing, and reimagining. For centuries there have been those who took risks to speak hard truths and break the silence of complicity, apathy, and obedience. We remember these leaders, martyrs, irreverent loudmouths, provocateurs, and organizers. The past and the present collide. These voices are spirits fueling the present so that we can create new movements for justice. Who will you remember? Who will you tell about what you have learned? And who will you invite to join you on our collective journey for justice? Photos by Scott Fleishman.
Bartolome de Las Casas, 1542: Jon Huertas
Tecumseh, 1811-12: Sheri Foster Blake
Joseph Plumb Martin, 1830: Matt McGorry
Maria Stewart, 1833: Patrisse Cullors
North Star editorial, 1848: Jon Huertas
John Brown, 1859: Matt McGorry
Henry McNeal Turner, 1868: Robert Wisdom
Chief Joseph, 1879: Sheri Foster Blake
Sojourner Truth, 1851: Melina Abdullah
Susan B. Anthony, 1873: Bellamy Young and Matt McGorry
Sylvia Woods, 1973: Kenyatta Bakeer
Stella Nowicki, 1973: Bellamy Young
Yuri Kochiyama, 1991: traci kato-kiriyama
Malcolm X, 1963: Robert Wisdom
Howard Zinn, 1970: Sheri Foster Blake, Kenyatta Bakeer, Bellamy Young
Frederick Douglass Closing: All of Us
PRODUCTION TEAM
Director - Ashley Sparks
Sound Design and Composition: Mikaal Sulaiman and Matt Bogdanow
Light Design - Rose Malone
Stage Manager - Iris Gonzales
Projection - James Blythe
Technical Direction - Patrick Long
Action Design - Matt Harper
Graphic Design: Rosemary McClure
Co-Producers - Ashley Sparks and Daren Taylor
Action Photographer - Sam Comen
Fall 2017
McCarty Memorial Church, Los Angeles, CA