Lifting hundreds of voices

[Times photos: Michael Rondou] Black History Pageant founder and director Peggy Peterman, left, with artistic director Melvina Randall, talks with actors rehearsing at Eckerd College.

By CATHERINE MCCARTHY
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 3, 2003

In its 25th year, the Black History Pageant has given African-American youths a hands-on chance to learn about their culture.

African-American dignitaries of the past and present file onstage. Former congresswoman Barbara Jordan is here, as well as Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Sojourner Truth, Suzy King Taylor, Mary McLeod Bethune and Sugar Ray Robinson follow them.

They form a half-circle around a boy asleep in a chair. Marshall nervously rubs his shoulder. Sugar Ray yawns and waits.

They are here to help the boy.

Edward Wright, 17, a junior at Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, stands in the wings during a rehearsal as he waits for his scene to begin.

The boy in the chair is Edward Wright, 17, a junior at Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg. He plays Edward Jackson, a 17-year-old much like himself, with one major difference.

The fictional Edward is addicted to crack cocaine.

"The Lord is Edward's shepherd!" cries an acting coach standing in for the actor portraying Sojourner Truth. She finishes emphatically by slicing a pointed finger through the air like a maestro conducting musicians.

In this scene, Edward is asleep after returning home with his family from a performance of the Dundu Dole West African Dancers. Until now he has been apathetic about his addiction and accepting of his downward spiral. These African-American heroes come to him in a dream to encourage him to tell his parents about his addiction. They want to save Edward before the addiction kills him.

A brief break is taken between scenes. The actors onstage get pointers from acting coaches: what words need emphasis, what they should be doing with their hands, where they should be walking, facing and looking when delivering lines. Children in the seats get up and mill around to talk to friends. Cell phones go off and are greeted with giggles from the kids and raised eyebrows from adults.

A man wearing a driver's cap strolls toward the front and chats briefly with Mrs. Peterman, a former writer and columnist for the St. Petersburg Times.

He is state Rep. Frank Peterman, D-St. Petersburg, Mrs. Peterman's son. He is here as an alumnus, a cast member of the first pageant. He has fond memories of the character-building pageants.

"You sort of live the lives of those African-American men and women who have brought us this far along the way," he says.

Wright has similar sentiments.

"It's a positive play," he says. "I learn a lot about my history and culture." He cites Martin Luther King Jr. as the historical figure he most admires. "He sacrificed his life so that people could have rights today."

Wright began participating in pageants three years ago, after he saw a cousin's performance.

The play's message of survival hits close to home for Wright. He has seen a cousin become addicted to drugs, so he wants the audience to take away from the performance "a positive message not to do drugs, because it can take over your life."

Since September, Wright and the other cast members have been meeting for practices every Thursday and Saturday for two hours. He credits his mother with making sure he goes to practices. "If I miss practice, she wants to know why," he said.

Though he delivers his lines with power and realism, he doesn't want to make acting a career. He aspires to be a forensic pathologist. In his free time, he likes to catch the newest movie releases with friends.

Wright's favorite scene is the first, where the Jackson family is discussing the Dundu Dole West African Dancers' performance and their heritage.

"They're talking about Africa, and I'm trying to tell them Africa isn't all that," he says, smiling.

The break is over, and the actors and audience regroup.

"This is the powerful scene," Mrs. Peterman says. "This is where he and his father have it."

Harsh words are exchanged when his father, portrayed by Aaron Peelar, 17, a senior at Lakewood High School, accuses him of running away from his problems.

The actors run through the scene. Later, that tension is broken as the actors and audience burst into laughter. "He was making me laugh," Wright says about Peelar. "It's kind of hard to stay in character because we have to do it over and over and over again. It begins to get nerve-racking."

Mrs. Peterman remains calm and collected during the rehearsal. She has seen just about everything since she began the pageant in response to the 1973 desegregation of Pinellas County schools. She said that African-American youths in the community were having trouble adjusting to the new environment, which lacked a creative outlet for them.

"The bands, the choirs, the plays weren't there," she says. "I tried to start an organization that could pump life back into the African-American child, help them believe in themselves, build their self-esteem and keep them culturally reinforced."

The pageant has grown over the years. The first performance had an audience of about 15 to 20. In 1996, We've Come This Far By Faith: The History of the Black Church attracted a peak attendance of 2,000 to the Mahaffey Theater at Bayfront Center.

"They had to send 100 people away" because there were not enough seats, Mrs. Peterman says.

The pageant now averages a crowd of about 1,200 to 1,300. A more impressive number is the 700-plus children who have participated over the past 25 years.

Alumni often return and attend practices to help or speak to the young actors. Cast members have become doctors and lawyers. Two former cast members are earning their master's degrees in theater.

Mrs. Peterman says that the participants come away with skills that will help them as adults in their careers. "We teach coping skills and respect for authority," she says.

No child is turned away, even if he is given only a single line.

"They come in not speaking, and they leave with self-confidence," she says. "They learn their history and get satisfaction."

Many parents help with the pageant years after their children have grown. Janice Wiggins has been with the pageant for two decades, and others have helped for at least 10 years. Some help with refreshments, others with acting and others with fundraising.

The fundraising adults are known as the pageant's "angels." Mrs. Peterman estimates that the pageant costs about $20,000 annually. No funding is received from Bethel Community Baptist Church. The Juvenile Welfare Board gives $5,000, and the Times contributes $1,500. The city underwrites the cost of renting the Mahaffey Theater for the evening, averaging $3,000 to $4,000.

Every graduating senior is given a small scholarship. The angels raise the rest of the funding needed from the community.

Rehearsal of the final scene is under way. A play within the play is taking place: Children are reciting poetry, practicing for the black history pageant that is taking place at the Jacksons' church. Most of the children are onstage, and they watch as their friends stand at the front of the stage and recite. The words of one girl carry to the back.

"Let this moment not be in vain."

-- Catherine McCarthy, 17, is in 12th grade at Seminole High School.

The Black History Pageant Committee of Bethel Community Baptist Church will present the 25th annual show, Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing: African-Americans at the Crossroads, at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Mahaffey Theater at Bayfront Center, 400 First St. S, St. Petersburg. There is no admission charge, but a freewill offering will be collected.

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