As part of my involvement in The Supper Table Project, I’m
learning about our foremothers: thirteen iconic women who helped shape South
Carolina. This multi-media event (essays, visual arts, and film) culminates in
a stage production to take place September 6th and 8th. I have the privilege of helping with the
script.
I haven’t tried to write scenes for stage since I was teen,
but “staging” is a part of my writing process. When I’m drafting a scene with
more than one character, I block them—who stands where, who reaches for what, how
do they use the space, etc. I think this comes from many years of watching my
mother, a theater director, block plays when she was directing. Somehow, it
snuck into my DNA.
This current work is less complicated in terms of staging,
but the script is a different kind of challenge. How do we distill a powerful,
impressive life into a short scene? How do we capture who these incredible
women were in a few lines of dialogue?
And I MEAN incredible. Take Althea Gibson. You may know she
was the first black woman to win Wimbledon. But did you know that she was also
a professional golfer? And that she recorded a record album? And wrote two
books? What DIDN’T she do?
And Septima Clark. I’m embarrassed that I didn’t really know
who she was until I got involved with this. She is considered the founder of
the Civil Rights movement because her citizenship schools, which taught African
Americans to read, write, fill out applications, and complete ballots, educated
thousands of people. Some of her students went on to become important leaders
in the civil rights movement. Septima became a freedom fighter who was
threatened, raided, and arrested for her brave efforts. Soft spoken and determined,
she never backed down.
The Grimke sisters, who grew up in a slave-owning family in
the early 1800s, were the first female advocates for abolition and women’s
rights. They left the south, became Quakers, and drew ire for speaking publicly
about controversial ideas like how southern women had a responsibility to end
slavery if they were Christians. These women were tenacious and brave.
They all were.
When we discussed how to conclude the stage presentation,
the social worker in me reared her stubborn head. It’s important that we
celebrate what these women accomplished, but we should also look ahead. How are
we going to build on what they handed us? What contributions can we make to
better our world? I truly believe that if we don’t go forward, we end up going
backwards. I suspect our foremothers would agree.
What foremothers/forefathers influenced you? Have you ever
had the opportunity to write about them?
For more about The Supper Table, go here: https://www.thestate.com/news/local/article234231272.html
Such a great project honoring so many women. Thanks for being part of this effort, Carla, and for your recollections of Sarah Leverette.
ReplyDeleteStrong women are an inspiration.
ReplyDeleteMy great grandmother, age 17 and "just off the boat," married a 72 year old man and had five children. Not surprisingly, she was left a widow when the children were young. She ran a bakery (I think it was called Loebners) in the Boston area, supporting her family and maintaining the wonderful house her husband had left her. I can't even imagine the courage it took to learn a new language, care for the children and run a successful business back when women were assumed to be helpless and dependent.
All these histories that might have been lost. I hope we do a better job of teaching children about foremothers than when I was in school! (Back in the 1800s ...)
ReplyDelete