'Unheard Voices' come to life
“The American Slavery Project: Unheard Voices,” presented by Hofstra University and the African Slavery Writers’ Collective, was a theatrical response written and based on different burials at the African Burial Ground in New York City, which was open from 1690-1790. Between 10,000 and 30,000 freed and enslaved African Americans were forced to bury their dead at the site. Only 419 bodies were uncovered, all of them nameless. The American Slavery Project tells their story through monologues, singing and drumming, and was presented on Tuesday, Sept. 17, in the John Cranford Adams Playhouse.
“It’s one of those things where you just have to get out of your own way and just write whatever’s in your heart,” explained Dennis Allen II, one of the main writers for the project. “I do remember thinking, and trying to imagine, the lives ... and thinking about how black bodies were used.”
The American Slavery Project uses its voice to make connections between history and the present day and create a conversation in the community. “It is a series of programming designed to reflect the journeys of African Americans through the four centuries,” said Executive Director of the Hofstra Cultural Center Athelene Collins.
“I hope to be a vessel in identifying what it is to be a human being who is going through the things that this person went through, and not looking at them as different or somehow separate from me because they were enslaved,” said Lynnette Freeman, a Jamaican African American actress who works on the project. “It is important to not see them as just slaves, but as full people. They were not slaves; they were people who were enslaved.”
Students, faculty and members of the community who attended were touched by the stories presented. “The monologues were very relevant,” said Imani Thompson, a junior public policy and public advocacy major. “What made it so moving is that the struggles that my ancestors dealt with still resonate now.”
None of the performers used microphones during the performances. According to Judy Tate, creator of “Unheard Voices,” the reason behind this choice is because the stories “came from a time without microphones,” and Tate wanted to keep the project as historically accurate as possible.
“It’s an interesting way to look back on important historical moments,” said Emily Hart, a senior history major. “[There are] so many lost stories in history, and it’s human nature to want to put stories to things.”
This performance marks the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans to North America. “Our country was founded on slavery, so I think it’s important that we’re educated about it,” Hart said. The founders of the project shared this idea, explaining exactly why “Unheard Voices” is so important.
Tate was very passionate about the project, encouraging the audience to feel the connection she did. “Don’t think of this as a piece you observe, but a ceremony you are a part of. This is a rumination of the journeys past and present Africans have gone through; and through this project, we reclaim our past so we can move forward.”
