College Play Celebrates Black History Month

Written By Nathan Heinicke-Peart 

Published February 2015

“I am always looking for educational presentations on historical events to inform the community about black history,” said Hermina Hendricks, the director of Multi-Culture Services. On Jan. 31 she found one such opportunity with the play, Climbing The Mountain Top When There Is Nowhere Left to Walk. The play, written by Dee Brown and directed by Teresa Harris (YEAR), a Randolph College Program Coordinator, was brought to the College for Black History Month.

“The play was to inform the Lynchburg community about what blacks had to go through since reconstruction after the civil war,” explained Dominique Rose ’15. The cast included four characters, all part of the Turner family. Through the play, they work to move up in the world and climb the mountain top. The Turner family lived an oppressed life on a plantation for over 50 years. Mr. Turner, the father, thought of himself and his family as a “good negro family” and had no desire to change his way of life.

His son, Tibias Turner, was a young kid able to go school—an opportunity not often available to other African Americans. His mother particularly wanted him to have an education while his father wanted Tibias to work in the fields. Through Tibias, the Turner family transitioned from a farming family to one with more education.

The second son, Willie Turner, was an African American activist who stood for reform and advocated for equality. He saw how blacks were being treated compared to whites and fought for equality. He stressed the need for education and thought a revolution was necessary for racial equality.

The final character was a Republican judge named Thomas Turner, who discussed the disparity of crimes between two African Americans versus crimes between African Americans and Caucasians. Thomas explained that everyone should take responsibility for their actions and their children’s actions in lieu of violent behavior to ‘solve’ conflicts. Hendricks explained that the broad message of the play ultimately examines “how [African Americans] overcame the struggle of life.”