Court Theatre presents "Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution"
CHICAGO (CBS) — "Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution" is now at Chicago's Court Theatre, and playwright Nambi E. Kelley is telling Carmichael's story in a powerful new production.
Carmichael was a charismatic but divisive figure in the civil rights movement in the 1960s. In "Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution," audiences get to understand him better.
Born in Trinidad and raised in New York. Carmichael marched with Martin Luther King, Jr., campaigned for voting rights, and against the war in Vietnam.
Playwright Nambi E. Kelley deeply delves into history, exploring Stokely's achievements and complexities. The DePaul grad has also been honored with the Prince Prize for "Native Son."
What was the research process like?
"My research process was COVID. I was just getting a bunch of books, read a bunch of books. Court (Theatre) also gave me researcher. So I was working side-by-side with Regina Victor, who was very instrumental in the early process of giving me feedback," Kelley.
As years passed, Stokely coined the term "Black Power." He was a strong believer in the right to political self-determination and later distanced himself from the non-violent struggle for racial integration.
He eventually moved to West Africa, changing his name to Kwame Ture, and devoted himself to the Pan-Africanist movement. Kelley said she was inspired by her father, a historian, who brought Stokely's life into their home.
"I was given Stokely as a child. It's always my great honor to be able to honor our heroes and particularly because history was something that my father really loved. And so that's something that I really love," Kelley said.
She said his story is important for the civil rights movement and everyone who wants to make a difference.
"Stokely is kind of fearless in transforming himself. So he tries something (and) he keeps continuing to try because he's so on fire for freedom and on fire for liberation for African people across the diaspora," Kelley said. "And I think we need to know that. We need to be fearless in looking at ourselves and looking at our choices and say 'you know what, I can make a different choice. I can continue to grow and change and metamorph as long as I'm doing the thing that I'm called to do with my life. And that's what absolutely he was called to do. And he did it diligently and brilliantly."
