Artists salute slain freedom fighter in play at Kent Branch Library
New Works Writers Series will present an original stage production, The Resurrection of Malcolm X, at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 21 at Toledo Public Library’s Kent Branch, to celebrate the human rights champion’s 100th birthday.
Toledo’s event, a one-man show written by author and journalist Eddie B. Allen Jr., and starring Cleveland-based actor Grant Walker, is among dozens of discussions, performances, lectures and other events being held throughout the country, in memory of the late Muslim leader and Black revolutionary icon.
Born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, his magnification into a world-renowned advocate for racial and social justice included a stint in prison that led to an introduction to the Nation of Islam. From the late-1940’s to his assassination in 1965, the life of Malcolm X was “a chronology of changes,” as his autobiography describes it, which ultimately impacted his fearless stance against white supremacy, and later influenced multiple generations of activists and artists.
“The Resurrection of Malcolm X was first performed in Toledo and Detroit in the late-1990’s,” says Imelda Hunt, PhD, founder and artistic director of New Works Writers Series. “We decided to revive it for this special moment in time when Malcolm’s legacy is being examined by so many communities and college campuses near and far.”
While similar to the original play in structure and narrative, The Resurrection of Malcolm X has been revised to include historic, multimedia images of its subject, for the Kent Branch performance. In a rare return to the Toledo arts scene, Walker will reprise the title role, as New Works Writers Series veteran performer Richard Brown appears as a supporting actor.
New Works Writers Series is celebrating its 40th year of producing stage plays, poetry and workshops that promote Black arts and culture throughout Northwest Ohio.
The Resurrection of Malcolm X is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a discussion with the audience. Kent Branch Library is located at 3101 Collingwood Blvd. in Toledo.
Media may contact New Works Writers Series at (419) 380-8464 or director@newworkswritersseries for interviews, or to request additional information.