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Friday
November 20, 2009 Since 1922 |
Original play performed for Juneteenth event
By Barrett Goldsmith
Baytown Sun Published June 18, 2007 Residents of the McNair community know that freedom is about more than a piece of paper saying slavery is over.
They know freedom means being able to walk proudly into any store or restaurant, to get a good education and land a good job, and to be free from sin through Jesus Christ.
More than 100 folks from the community packed the J.D. Walker Community Center on Sunday to see a play by one of their own, a writer born and raised in McNair. Sharon Guillory wrote, directed and performed in “Breaking the Chains,” an original play about the nature of freedom, in honor of Juneteenth, which is Tuesday.
“Sometimes we don’t value our freedom,” said Guillory’s character, Ruth Strait. “We need to act like we’re free. If you want a job, go to school and take that job. Stop thinking like a slave.”
Before the show, Guillory said she wrote to tell both the black community and the community at large that freedom is something to be cherished and earned.
“This is a message that African Americans must open up our hearts and minds to the idea of freedom,” Guillory said. “Do we feel like we can go anywhere or say what we want? We have to have a free mentality.”
The play took the form of a talk show, with host Ms. June (Portia Hamilton) discussing freedom with her three guests. The first guest was Sarah Mae Spears (Mary Leak), who had written a book about her “Grandmami,” a former slave. She told of the time when Grandmami was beaten almost to death just for sticking up for a fellow slave, the time when after waking up before dawn and picking cotton until her hands were raw, the master made her cook for the family – not her family, the master’s.
“She raised her hands to the lord and said, ‘God, deliver me.” Leak said. “Two weeks later, she died. She was free. The master couldn’t touch her any more. She had a new master, the living master, and she had no more shackles.”
Then came the reverend, David McNair. In the hands of the real Rev. Rickey Taylor, the role of McNair stole the show. With charisma and bombast that nearly ripped the lid of the community center, Taylor left no doubt about who wrote the real proclamation of freedom – God himself.
“Abraham Lincoln signed a paper, but God already said we’re free,” Taylor said. “’The son will set you free.’ We serve an awesome God. They put Jesus on the cross and raised him up, but he said ‘I’ll raise you up’ They buried him in a tomb, but that’s not how the story ended.”
Before getting into character, Taylor said many people in the black community need to learn about the freedom of sin.
“If they would just trust God, then he can set us free,” Taylor said. “You don’t have to abuse drugs and alcohol, to steal, to abuse your spouse. If Christ sets you free, you are free. People think they’re still slaves.”
Charnea Washington, 20, said young black people should take a valuable lesson from the play and from Juneteenth.
“There are young people who want to give back to the community,” Washington said. “As young people, it’s our duty to succeed and to learn from our elders.”
Shannon Gray gave an impassioned reading of a poem, “Still I Rise,” by Maya Angelou, and Mildred Gray sang an earthy, powerful rendition of the traditional “Let My People Go.” Damon Guillory read the full text of the Emancipation Proclamation before the show.”
“Soul food was originally just the scraps that the master didn’t want,” said Simuel “Sam” Thomas. “But now we can eat T-bone steak with everybody else in the house. We need to remember that.”
The Juneteenth celebrations will continue today with Apollo Night, a trip back to the dancehalls of the 1920s and 1930s, beginning at 7 p.m. at the J.D. Walker Community Center, 7613 Wade Road. Anyone wishing to participate in the dance contest must bring his or her own music and arrive by 6:30 p.m.
It all finishes up Tuesday with a gospel extravaganza and soul food dinner beginning at 7 p.m. For more information on the events, call 281-421-1694.
Baytown Sun Published June 18, 2007 Residents of the McNair community know that freedom is about more than a piece of paper saying slavery is over.
They know freedom means being able to walk proudly into any store or restaurant, to get a good education and land a good job, and to be free from sin through Jesus Christ.
More than 100 folks from the community packed the J.D. Walker Community Center on Sunday to see a play by one of their own, a writer born and raised in McNair. Sharon Guillory wrote, directed and performed in “Breaking the Chains,” an original play about the nature of freedom, in honor of Juneteenth, which is Tuesday.
“Sometimes we don’t value our freedom,” said Guillory’s character, Ruth Strait. “We need to act like we’re free. If you want a job, go to school and take that job. Stop thinking like a slave.”
Before the show, Guillory said she wrote to tell both the black community and the community at large that freedom is something to be cherished and earned.
“This is a message that African Americans must open up our hearts and minds to the idea of freedom,” Guillory said. “Do we feel like we can go anywhere or say what we want? We have to have a free mentality.”
The play took the form of a talk show, with host Ms. June (Portia Hamilton) discussing freedom with her three guests. The first guest was Sarah Mae Spears (Mary Leak), who had written a book about her “Grandmami,” a former slave. She told of the time when Grandmami was beaten almost to death just for sticking up for a fellow slave, the time when after waking up before dawn and picking cotton until her hands were raw, the master made her cook for the family – not her family, the master’s.
“She raised her hands to the lord and said, ‘God, deliver me.” Leak said. “Two weeks later, she died. She was free. The master couldn’t touch her any more. She had a new master, the living master, and she had no more shackles.”
Then came the reverend, David McNair. In the hands of the real Rev. Rickey Taylor, the role of McNair stole the show. With charisma and bombast that nearly ripped the lid of the community center, Taylor left no doubt about who wrote the real proclamation of freedom – God himself.
“Abraham Lincoln signed a paper, but God already said we’re free,” Taylor said. “’The son will set you free.’ We serve an awesome God. They put Jesus on the cross and raised him up, but he said ‘I’ll raise you up’ They buried him in a tomb, but that’s not how the story ended.”
Before getting into character, Taylor said many people in the black community need to learn about the freedom of sin.
“If they would just trust God, then he can set us free,” Taylor said. “You don’t have to abuse drugs and alcohol, to steal, to abuse your spouse. If Christ sets you free, you are free. People think they’re still slaves.”
Charnea Washington, 20, said young black people should take a valuable lesson from the play and from Juneteenth.
“There are young people who want to give back to the community,” Washington said. “As young people, it’s our duty to succeed and to learn from our elders.”
Shannon Gray gave an impassioned reading of a poem, “Still I Rise,” by Maya Angelou, and Mildred Gray sang an earthy, powerful rendition of the traditional “Let My People Go.” Damon Guillory read the full text of the Emancipation Proclamation before the show.”
“Soul food was originally just the scraps that the master didn’t want,” said Simuel “Sam” Thomas. “But now we can eat T-bone steak with everybody else in the house. We need to remember that.”
The Juneteenth celebrations will continue today with Apollo Night, a trip back to the dancehalls of the 1920s and 1930s, beginning at 7 p.m. at the J.D. Walker Community Center, 7613 Wade Road. Anyone wishing to participate in the dance contest must bring his or her own music and arrive by 6:30 p.m.
It all finishes up Tuesday with a gospel extravaganza and soul food dinner beginning at 7 p.m. For more information on the events, call 281-421-1694.