Many of us think we know the story of John Brown and his ill-fated raid on the military installation of Harper’s Ferry in 1859 that ushered in the start of the Civil War. History presents him as a fanatic at best and insane at worst. The popular rationalization is that no sane White man would ever sacrifice his life and that of his children for the liberation of Negroes. Even his own lawyer presented this position as a defense in his trial. Had John Brown been killed at Harper’s Ferry we may have never known his motives, but because he survived and succeeded in putting the peculiar institution of slavery and America itself on trial, we do know his motives. What many don’t know is the role African Secret Societies and the lineage of the great poet Langston Hughes’s family played. Join us on the anniversary of John Brown's hanging as we launch the campaign to get this film made.
If you’re great enough
And clever enough
The government might honor you
But the people will forget, except holidays
A movie house in Harlem named after Lincoln
Nothing at all named after John Brown
Black people don’t remember
Any better than White
If you’re not alive and kicking, shame on you!
-Langston Hughes
The late Dick Gregory was the inspiration for this project as he would regularly visit Harper’s Ferry to honor John Brown whom he declared to be the greatest human being that America has ever produced. We dedicate this production to him.
PERFORMANCES BY: Akua Allrich, John Brown's Body, Femi DriFish, Crispus Attucks
Tickets: $10 , available here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/patriotic-treason-the...
