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Book Set in Civil Rights Era Inspires Local Artist, 10

THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES — Dalvin McCollum, a rising fifth grader at Avondale Elementary School, didn’t have to think long about what to do when asked to design a project based on a book his teacher assigned to his class. McCollum, 10, used his love of comics to create a newspaper, “B’HAM NEWS,” that included an article, a drawing of the 16th Street Baptist Church, and a comic strip based on “The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963.”

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By Kathryn Sesser-Dorné

Dalvin McCollum, a rising fifth grader at Avondale Elementary School, didn’t have to think long about what to do when asked to design a project based on a book his teacher assigned to his class.

McCollum, 10, used his love of comics to create a newspaper, “B’HAM NEWS,” that included an article, a drawing of the 16th Street Baptist Church, and a comic strip based on “The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963.”

“One good reason is because I knew I could draw, so I just wanted to do that for fun,” Dalvin said about why he chose to make a newspaper. “And then I really just wanted to write something about it.”

“The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963,” about a family in Michigan who finds themselves in Alabama around the time of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, is fictional. But author Christopher Paul Curtis based the book on members of his family and many events in the first part of the book are based on his childhood.

“I just liked the book. Some parts made me confused … some parts were funny,” McCollum said.

“There’s this little boy, his name was Kenny. Somehow he thought his sister was in the 16th Street bombing, but somehow she got out … someone took her out before the church blew up.”

McCollum said that part was a little confusing, as well as how someone was able to get the bomb in the church in the first place. But it also made him think about that era in time, and how Birmingham played a big role in the fight for change.

The book, chosen by Maggie Michelson, a fourth grade teacher at Avondale, also inspired students to create characters made out of dough, short stories, and even a board game. Michelson has helped McCollum become more confident this year as well.

“She showed me that if I try my best, I can do something. I can do it.”

The son of Dalvin and Jacquelyne McCollum says his family has also inspired him too. “They just support me if I mess up,” he said. “And they help me when I’m doing stuff.”

McCollum’s Comics

Comics come naturally to McCollum, and he likes to draw things that amuse him.

“That’s my favorite thing to do when I’m drawing,” McCollum said. “I don’t do superhero comics, I just like to do funny ones.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be my thing,” McCollum said when asked about a future in newspapers.

Despite his venture into journalism, McCollum doesn’t see that as his career path, but he does hope he’ll be able to make a living with his art.

“I want to be a character artist for cartoons, or something like that. Or just draw.”

After creating what he did after reading “The Watsons go to Birmingham 1963,” he also hopes that seeing other artist’s works might inspire him as he continues to hone his skills.

“I just asked my Mom when I walked in could I get a book,” he said about the graphic novels that the Avondale branch of the Birmingham Public Library had on hand.

He also hopes to follow in his mother’s footsteps and attend the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “I think it’s just a good college.”

McCollum said he will continue to study about Birmingham’s involvement in the civil rights era, and the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing.

“I like history. I think it helps me learn about my past.”

But for now, he’s just focused on being out of school for the summer.

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times

Activism

Alternative Outcome to Slayings by Police Explored in One-Man Play

BLACK MEN EVERYWHERE! is the explosive new one man play written, directed, and performed by Jinho “Piper” Ferreira. Set against the backdrop of a presidential election, the play explores how political and cultural leaders wield the myth of the dangerous Black man to manipulate the masses for personal gain. Piper penned the follow-up to his ground-breaking solo play, “Cops and Robbers,” after an impromptu cross-country Black history tour. 

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BLACK MEN EVERYWHERE! is the explosive new one man play written, directed, and performed by Jinho “Piper” Ferreira.
BLACK MEN EVERYWHERE! is the explosive new one man play written, directed, and performed by Jinho “Piper” Ferreira.

Special to The Post

What would happen if police officers who have gotten off for killing unarmed Black people started turning up dead?

BLACK MEN EVERYWHERE! is the explosive new one man play written, directed, and performed by Jinho “Piper” Ferreira. Set against the backdrop of a presidential election, the play explores how political and cultural leaders wield the myth of the dangerous Black man to manipulate the masses for personal gain.

Piper penned the follow-up to his ground-breaking solo play, “Cops and Robbers,” after an impromptu cross-country Black history tour.

“My wife and I had been talking about it for years,” Ferreira said. They had taken their three children to Brazil several times and West Africa but had yet to explore their history as Black people in this country. “It was Juneteenth last year and I realized we had a few weeks to make it happen, so we just jumped in the car and left” Piper said.

Three weeks later the family had seen everything from the African American Museum of History and Culture in Wash., D.C., to the phenomenally preserved Whitney Plantation in Louisiana. They’d stood outside of the balcony of the Lorraine Hotel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., and paid their respects at the Africa Town cemetery – where the passengers of the Clotilda (the last known U.S. slave ship to smuggle captured Africans into this country) were buried near Mobile, Ala.

“We had the kids keep a journal of the trip and my wife and I took notes, but once we got back home, I knew I had to make the pen move,” he said.

Ferreira plays 21 characters in the 60-minute emotional roller coaster ride; personalities we all know. While brilliantly weaving in themes of revolution, treachery, and revenge, “Black Men Everywhere!” is surprisingly — more than anything else — a love story.

“I wrote the play for Black men and everyone who loves us,” Ferreira said. “The play is narrated by a sistah and performed in front of the deeply spiritual artwork of Nedra T. Williams, an Oakland priestess of Olokun. It’s called ‘Black Men Everywhere!’ but we don’t exist without the Black woman.”

For tickets, please go to: http://tinyurl.com/5dm3mhra

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Art

City of Stockton Seeks Applications for Public Art Murals

The City of Stockton Arts Commission (SAC) has announced the opportunity for artist(s) and/or artist teams to apply to design and paint original artwork on City-owned property through a Public Art Mural Program. The deadline for applications is Friday, March 8, 2024, at 5 p.m. Applications and additional information are available online at www.stocktonca.gov/publicart.

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The Public Art Mural Program incentivizes mural installations by providing city funding and the means of curating the City’s collection of murals.
The Public Art Mural Program incentivizes mural installations by providing city funding and the means of curating the City’s collection of murals.

City of Stockton

The City of Stockton Arts Commission (SAC) has announced the opportunity for artist(s) and/or artist teams to apply to design and paint original artwork on City-owned property through a Public Art Mural Program.

The deadline for applications is Friday, March 8, 2024, at 5 p.m. Applications and additional information are available online at www.stocktonca.gov/publicart.

The Public Art Mural Program incentivizes mural installations by providing city funding and the means of curating the City’s collection of murals.

This program has $50,000 in available funds for artist(s) and is also available for those who have already identified funds and would like to complete a mural project on city-owned property. Applications will be reviewed on a competitive basis and selected by the SAC.

To learn more about the Stockton Arts Commission (SAC) or qualifications and eligibility for Public Art Mural Program, please visit www.stocktonca.gov/publicart or call the Community Services Department at (209) 937-8206.

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Art

Black Nativity: A Unique Adaptation of the Christmas Story

“Black Nativity” is a cultural adaptation that tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. Created by the poet, novelist, playwright and activist Langston Hughes, and performed by an all-Black cast, this unique musical production showcases traditional Christmas carols sung in a gospel style, along with some new songs specifically written for the show.

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Poet, novelist, playwright and activist Langston Hughes.
Poet, novelist, playwright and activist Langston Hughes.

By Tamara Shiloh

“Black Nativity” is a cultural adaptation that tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. Created by the poet, novelist, playwright and activist Langston Hughes, and performed by an all-Black cast, this unique musical production showcases traditional Christmas carols sung in a gospel style, along with some new songs specifically written for the show.

The show made its debut Off-Broadway on Dec. 11, 1961. It was a groundbreaking moment because it was one of the first plays written by an African American to be staged in New York City. The play gained popularity quickly and even toured Europe in 1962, with one notable performance at the Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds in Italy.

“Black Nativity” has become an annual tradition in Boston, since 1970. It has been performed at various locations, including the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts, Boston Opera House, Tremont Temple, Roxbury Community College, Northeastern University’s Blackman Auditorium, and Emerson College’s Paramount Theater. This production is considered the longest-running rendition of the Langston Hughes’ classic.

The original cast included 160 singers, classified by age group and vocal range. They were accompanied by soloists, a narrator, and unique portrayals of Mary and Joseph, who communicated without speaking. Musicians and American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters added depth to the performance.

The show begins in complete darkness as barefoot singers, dressed in white robes and carrying electric candles, walk in while singing the classic hymn “Go Tell It on the Mountain.” This creates a captivating and atmospheric start to the performance.

One of the most dramatic moments in the play is the portrayal of Jesus’ birth. The stage transforms from orange and blue lights to a deep red hue. African drums and percussion are used to echo Mary’s contractions, adding a unique touch to the story. The Three Wise Men, often prominent members of the local Black community, play their roles without singing.

The show concludes with the chorus singing a reprise of “Go Tell It on the Mountain” as they exit in darkness. A final soliloquy delivered by a young child brings emotional closure to the performance.

Originally, the play was named “Wasn’t It a Mighty Day?”

Notably, Alvin Ailey, a renowned dancer and choreographer, was part of the original Off-Broadway cast. However, both he and Carmen de Lavallade left the production due to a dispute over changing the title to “Black Nativity.”

In 2004, a documentary film was made about the world premiere performance and the creation of the best-selling gospel Christmas album, “Black Nativity – In Concert: A Gospel Celebration.” This original cast performance took place at the Immanuel Baptist Church in Portland, ME.

A film adaptation of “Black Nativity” directed by Kasi Lemmons and starring Forest Whitaker and Angela Bassett was released on Nov. 27, 2013, bringing this remarkable Nativity story to a broader audience.

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