An Evening with . . .
MLK, Langston Hughes, Danny Glover, and Felix
Justice.
By Meghan Irons
They were both dreamers, the poet and the civil rights
activist. And they were revolutionaries, too, sketching in writings and
speeches the plight of blacks in America. And though Martin Luther King
Jr. and Langston Hughes aren't alive today to see the effects of their
work, their words still resonate.
In a demonstration of the power of those words, actors Danny Glover
and Felix Justice will read from the speeches and writings of Hughes and
King during what is expected to be a moving and inspiring performance in
Blackman Auditorium for Black History Month.
"An Evening with Langston and Martin," appearing in Blackman
on February 11 at 7:30 p.m., will feature Justice and Glover portraying
King, the slain civil rights leader, and Hughes, a prolific writer of the
Black Arts Movement and the Harlem Renaissance, a period of black literary,
theatrical, and musical expression.
"The words that Langston Hughes and Dr. Martin Luther King wrote
at an earlier time are not only powerful but still relevant today because
they relate to the passionate dreams about humanity," says Del Lewis,
director of the Center for the Arts. "Both of the men were keen observers
of humanity and passionate about their dreams and the rightful place of
the African-American in the American society. The opportunity to see Danny
Glover and Felix Justice in action delivering those inspiring words is
of great benefit to everyone."
The program is based on a one-man show by Justice, who performed King's
speeches in San Francisco for many years. Glover, for whom the works of
Hughes and writer James Baldwin have long been favorites, teamed up with
Justice, a longtime friend, about nine years ago. The two men have toured
the college circuit ever since, educating, enlightening, and inspiring
the younger generation.
"We wanted to give an immediacy to historical figures," Justice
said in a Los Angeles Times article. "I grew up with Langston's poetry,"
Glover told the Times. "He brings us alive, in a way."
Glover has become a bona fide movie star for his roles in the Lethal
Weapon action-comedy movie series and, more recently, Oprah Winfrey's film,
Beloved. Justice, an actor and director based in San Francisco, turned
to acting in 1960 after seeing King speak in Los Angeles.
In "An Evening with Langston and Martin," Justice will speak
in King's voice, delivering excerpts from his speeches and writings, including
the famous letter from a Birmingham, Alabama, jail. Glover will follow
Justice's performance with a compilation of Hughes's poems, which express
the poet's interpretations of race in America. A question-and-answer session
will follow.
By matching Hughes and King, the program highlights the commonality
in their work. King is often compared with his more outspoken adversary,
Malcolm X. But in this program, the actors demonstrate Hughes's and King's
shared visions and dreams of a different, more racially inclusive America.
The two visionaries lived and worked a generation apart. Hughes was
twenty-seven at the time of King's birth in 1929. Hughes's poems and writings
related the daily struggles of ordinary black people in America. "Dream
Deferred," perhaps his most famous poem, expressed the dashed hopes
of African-Americans whose dreams festered like a sore and dried up "like
a raisin in the sun." The poem was the inspiration behind Lorraine
Hansberry's play, A Raisin in the Sun.
King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, four years before his
assassination. In 1983, Congress designated the third Monday in January
a national holiday to commemorate his birthday.
Tickets to the show are $7.50 for Northeastern students; $12.50 for
faculty, staff, and seniors; and $15 for general admission. Call 373-2247.
CALENDAR
THEATER
Machinal, a play by Sophie Treadwell, February 1820 and 2427,
Studio Theatre, Ryder Hall, 8 p.m. 373-2244.
MUSIC
Turtle Island String Quartet presents a fusion of jazz, blues, popular,
and classical music, February 5, Blackman Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. $7.50,
$12.50, and $15. 373-2142.
LECTURES
"Urban Machinations," by Alex Krieger, chair of the Department
of Planning and Urban Design, Harvard Graduate School of Design, January
14, 320 Classroom Building, 5:30 p.m. Accompanying exhibit, "Recent
Urban Design: Work in Boston," January 7 to February 5, Ryder Hall
lobby. 373-2347.
"Who Should Buy Long-Term Bonds?" by John Campbell, Otto Eckstein
professor of applied economics, Harvard University, January 21, 316 Lake
Hall, noon. 373-2872.
"Neglected Contributions of Early Southern Women Social Scientists,"
by Kay Broschart, chair of sociology, Hollins University, February 3, Frost
Lounge, Ell Building, 3 p.m. 373-3984.
"Problems of Information Graphics," by Krzysztof Lenk, professor
of graphic design, Rhode Island School of Design, February 4, 320 Classroom
Building, 5:30 p.m. 373-2347.
"Rehashing Mother India: the Arrival of Nationalist Modernity in
Late Colonial India," by Mrinalini Sinha, professor of history, Southern
Illinois University, February 11, Frost Lounge, Ell Building, 8 p.m. 373-4984.
"Sky Venture Capital Fund for Women Entrepreneurs," by entrepreneur
Jennifer Wilson, March 3, Frost Lounge, Ell Building, 3 p.m. 373-3984.
"Grasping the Causal Structure of the World," by Frank Keil,
professor of psychology, Yale University, March 4, Raytheon Amphitheater,
Egan Research Center, 3:30 p.m. 373-3076.
"Technology in the Service of Human Expression," by John Maeda,
assistant professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, March 4, 320
Classroom Building, 5:30 p.m. 373-2347.
Sixth Annual Valerie Gordon Human Rights Lecture, with keynote speaker
Loretta Ross, executive director of the Center for Human Rights Education
in Atlanta, March 24, 97 Cargill Hall, 5:30 p.m. 373-4930.
African-American Stormy Monday Lecture Series, every Monday, 425 Classroom
Building, 11:45 a.m. 373-3148.
CONFERENCES
Violence Where You Work, the Second Annual National Conference on Violence,
with James Fox, dean of criminal justice; Jack Levin, professor of sociology;
Bruce Blythe, president and chief executive officer of Crisis Management
International, which worked on the World Trade Center and Oklahoma City
bombings; Lawrence Curran, senior vice president and general counsel of
First Security Services; Robert Stutman, former director of the New York
Drug Enforcement Administration; and Steven Porter, assistant professor
of clinical psychiatry at Tufts School of Medicine, March 2526, Raytheon
Amphitheater, Egan Research Center, 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Registration fee
required. 373-4987.
ETC.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation, January 14, 11:45 a.m., Blackman
Auditorium. Reception, African-American Institute, 1:30 p.m. 373-3143.
Fifteenth Annual Dean Roland E. Latham Oratory Competition, February
9, Curry Student Center Ballroom, 7 p.m. 373-3143.
Black History Quiz Bowl, February 23 and 25, African-American Institute,
7 p.m. 373-3143.
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