Uncle Tom. You wince, seeing it there in print. Or you’re wishing I hadn’t written it at all. No luck. There it is – Uncle Tom.
| A free production of “uncle tom: deconstructed,” a drama by the Conciliation Project, will be presented at 7 p.m. today at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 2913 W. Marine View Drive in Everett.
Sponsored by the Human Rights Coalition for Snohomish County, the event, which is for mature audiences, will include discussion and the chance to sign up for the Study Circles: Community Dialogue on Race. For information on the production, go to www.theconciliation project.org. |
The name has come to mean far more than the Christlike central figure of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s classic “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” The novel damned slavery, fueling passions in the years leading up to the Civil War.
“The fictional character Uncle Tom exemplified the good slave,” Amelia Wood of Edmonds said. “Many stereotypes and images were perpetuated because of that.”
Wood, 24, is production manager for the Conciliation Project, a nonprofit theater organization started at Seattle Central Community College.
The troupe brings its production “uncle tom: deconstructed” to Everett tonight. Sponsored by the Human Rights Coalition for Snohomish County and partly funded by the Everett Cultural Commission, the free program is at 7 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall.
“It addresses the legacy of slavery in the United States,” Wood said of the drama. The aim isn’t to make us wince, but to get us talking.
Snohomish County has seen more than its share of racially charged incidents, from the cross burning on the lawn of a black pastor in Arlington last year to expulsions at Monroe High School over a symbol of hate, a noose.
“The Human Rights Coalition wanted an event that would begin the dialogue about racism,” Wood said. “The reality is, racism is not a thing of the past. It’s happening in our own back yards, to our kids, our neighbors.
“There’s no way we can understand if we’re not willing to listen to someone else’s story,” she said. “Even though some experiences a black person had I’ll never have as a white person, we’re all connected.”
The Conciliation Project was founded by Tawnya Pettiford-Wates, head of the drama department at Seattle Central Community College. Its goal is forging relationships across cultural lines through theater.
The 2001 play “uncle tom: deconstructed,” written collectively by students, has been presented around the country, at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Miami; at Rutgers, Gonzaga and other universities; and by corporate groups including Starbucks.
Tonight’s drama may well be cause for discomfort. And with mature themes and language, it’s not for kids.
“One of the things that came out of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book was the minstrel show,” Wood said. “In the late 1800s, Uncle Tom troupes traveled the country. White actors would put on blackface and portray Uncle Tom.
“They thought it was entertainment, but a lot of racial stereotypes were perpetuated by that,” she said.
Wood, a graduate of The Evergreen State College, said those stereotypes evolved into caricatures of “mammy and Sambo, and later the pimp and the whore.”
“Those images are not gone,” she said. “We have a homey pusher scene that addresses drugs, violence, sexism, crime, and how so many stigmas are attached to people of color. It’s tough because it’s a fine line between perpetuating a stereotype and breaking down a stereotype.”
Tonight’s audience will see a shortened 45-minute version of the play. There will be discussion and a chance for people to sign up for Snohomish County Study Circles: Community Dialogue on Race.
The study circles have been going on more than six years, said Kinuko Noborikawa, chairwoman of the Human Rights Coalition. Sponsored by Everett Community College, the city of Everett, United Way of Snohomish County and the YMCA, the groups meet weekly. New groups will start in March and April, Noborikawa said.
After recent incidents involving race, Noborikawa heard comments that our community was going backward. “It may be that people are less afraid to say something about it, they’re more willing to confront racism when they see it,” she said.
Wood said confronting attitudes raised in “uncle tom: deconstructed” brings up powerful emotions. “We play a game, we ask the audience to fill a bag of popcorn with words. We have them shout out a word,” she said.
Often, she’ll hear people shout “anger,” “hope” or “guilt.”
“I would encourage anyone to come, even it you’re doubtful or uncomfortable,” she said. “I would encourage people to take a risk.”
In other words, it’s worth the wince.
Columnist Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460 or muhlsteinjulie@heraldnet.com.
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