JOIN US FOR A FREE PERFORMANCE ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 25th AT 5pm!
"The Ongoing Fight for Freedom" at the North Carolina State Capitol
While we are asking attendees to pre-register, space and seating is first come, first serve.
When: Saturday, January 25th, 2025. Doors open to performance space at 5pm, performance will begin promptly at 5:30pm.
Where: North Carolina State Capitol, 1 East Edenton Street, Raleigh, NC, 27601
Parking: Parking for the Capitol is available at metered spaces around the square or in the NC Museum/Government Center parking lot located at 100 East Jones Street.
Description: “The Ongoing Fight for Freedom: Stories of NC Black Veterans” is a one-man presentation & performance elevating Black freedom fighters and veterans with North Carolina connections – known & unknown, on and off the traditional battlefield – who have engaged in over 400 years of a struggle for freedom, liberty, and equality. Their sacrifices, resistance, and resilience have contributed to American democracy, even as they were denied the full rights of citizens. Through listening to their stories in this production, we can gain a deeper understanding of our nation’s founding ideals, and harness the hope to continue the work, together, of making those ideals a reality for all.
Performance Content
The show is approximately 60 minutes long. There will be a brief Q&A after the performance.
While no violence or graphic images are included in this presentation, it does include archival images and sound ques depicting and referencing scenes of battle, war, and the Jim Crow era. Suicide is briefly mentioned.
This performance is intended for general public audiences of adults (16+). However, mature children aged 12 and older, who are accompanied by a guardian and are capable of maintaining a seat and focus through a 60-minute production, may also find the experience enriching. Parental discretion is advised.
This show was collaboratively written and is performed by Dr. Sonny Kelly, founder of Legacy Heirs Productions. The play’s development was commissioned & funded by the NC Department of Natural & Cultural Resources’ America 250 NC initiative & produced by the Learning Happens Here initiative of the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, in collaboration with Carolina K-12.
For more information about the show’s content, the historical figures represented, and accompanying lesson plans for attending teachers, go to dncr.nc.gov/ncblackveterans
The presentation is based on historical research, including actual events and people who have contributed to North Carolina throughout the last four centuries. Artistic liberties have been taken in how figures are presented. While some dialogue is taken directly from oral histories or interview sources, the majority of the dialogue and characterizations have been interpreted for dramatic intent.