MILWAUKEE — Black Arts MKE is putting on its Black History Month production, “The Harlem Renaissance,” with the hope of educating and inspiring Black youth.
Joseph Brown Jr. is playing the role of Jacob Lawrence in the production.
“Jacob Lawrence was a painter during the Harlem Renaissance. He was one of the first well known Black painters in the country. He was pre-civil rights, so it was difficult for him to get a lot of his work out there because of racism at the time,” said Brown during a rehearsal for the play.
The Harlem Renaissance was a period between the 1920s and 30s. It is widely regarded as an African American cultural revival of the arts that centered in Harlem in New York City.
In addition to Lawrence, the play also highlights three other artists: Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston and Ella Fitzgerald.
For Brown, this production has already been an eye-opening experience.
“I feel like a lot of the time, prolific Black artists are ignored in history, and I think they deserve to have their stories told. I think they are a big part of American history in general, and oftentimes, we forget about these people or have never even heard of them. Before this, I have never heard of Jacob Lawrence,” said Brown.
Malaina Moore is the writer and director of the show. During Black History Month, she said Black Arts MKE is performing the show free for schools and youth organizations.
“Looking back, especially on Black History Month, we tend to go towards the same figures and I think the same periods of time and I really wanted kids to see celebration of Black life and all the things that we have gone to kind of cultivate it to make something beautiful,” said Moore.
Moore said this is a perfect opportunity to inspire younger artists in Milwaukee.
“It’s always such a privilege to see a child to see themselves on stage and recognize themselves on stage, so bringing youth programming and being able to bring the kids in for free is one of our main goals as an organization,” said Moore.
As Brown looks to channel his mellow but flashy side to become Jacob Lawrence, he said he hopes kids grab onto one simple truth.
“That there is a place for them in art, even if their school curriculum doesn’t encourage it. If you know who you are, you know what you like and you have a story to tell — tell it,” said Brown.
Brown said he found himself through art. Now, he said he hopes the Harlem Renaissance shows youth they should not allow anyone to discourage them from being who they are.
Black Arts MKE encourages school and youth to reserve a date for the show. Performances are every Wednesday through Friday from Feb. 8-24 at 11 a.m.