Underwritten by Tristan James Jr.
I was drawn in by the photo of the tall young Black man with a red tie, staring wistfully into the ether, and his mother, a black woman, statuesque, perfectly coiffed and staring straight into the camera.
I was intrigued by the headline, “A Black Student’s Mother Complained About ‘Fences.’ He Was Expelled” , which drew me in even further.
As someone who writes, researches, and lives a life of a Black mother fighting for anti-racism in America’s schools, I began to read with earnest interest, believing that I would be silently praising this mother as she fought for her child.
Now, Jamal’s mother, Faith, did not like the idea of reading this play in her son’s class, where he is the only (or one of a few) Black children.
INSIDERNOTES
A quick summary of the problem: This young man, Jamal, in the ninth grade, attends an elite private school in North Carolina.
In his freshman English class, the teacher assigned the play “Fences,” written by acclaimed Black playwright, August Wilson for the class to read.
Fences is a 1985 play about a working class Black family set in Pittsburgh in the 1950s. It won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and the Tony Award for Drama that same year. Fences was brought to the screen in 2016, with Denzel Washington and Viola Davis playing Troy and Rose.
“Viola Davis won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress that year.”
ANONYMOUS
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