A collage of writers who address issues of race, ethnicity & culture
in partnership with the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities (RICH) created in 2006
This is a 45 minute program presented in Living Literature’s unique readers theatre style. Kaleidoscope of Race? further explores the issues of What Unites/What Divides Us from 2005, with a slightly different focus.
More than 100 years ago, Walt Whitman shared his perception of America as a melting pot: “Here is not merely a nation, but a teeming Nation of nations.” And in The New York Times, June, 2006, David Mamet said, “The dark secret of America has always been and will always be race. It’s a secret hard to be rational about because it’s so much a part of our lives.” To better understand ourselves, we must have a better understanding and appreciation of the diverse racial tapestry that is our national environment.
A trio of performers will present excerpts from material selected from the following authors to further explore this idea:
Lawrence Fuchs, the complexity of ethnic dynamics
Tess Onwueme, The Riot of Colors
Frederick Douglas, from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas
Mitsuye Yamada, To the Lady
Sherman Alexie, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven
Pat Mora, Elena
Jesus Colon, Little Things Are Big
Octavio Paz, The Street
Public Enemy, Fear
Junot Diaz, How To Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl of Halfie
Donna Kate Rushin, The Bridge Poem
Amy Tan, Double Face, from The Joy Luck Club
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Indian Movie, New Jersey
Maurice Berger, from, White Lies
Grace Paley, Three Days and a Question
James Baldwin, from Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone
Langston Hughes, White Man
Tim Wise, Race to Our Credit
Toni Morrison, white people believed
Anne Lamott, holy of holies 101
Maya Angelou, Still I Rise
Living Literature 