In honor of Black History, The Friday Center presents- “Voices for Justice” Mike Wiley Productions’ -Dar He: The Lynching of Emmett Till

• Performance 3:00–4:00 p.m.
• Q&A 4:00 – 4:30 p.m.

In honor of Black History, the Friday Center for Continuing Education proudly presents a theatrical performance presented by acclaimed actor and playwright, Mike Wiley.  Crafted from the public record, his one-man, multiple character performance of Dar He offers a transfixing dramatization of the historic interviews and events surrounding the lynching and murder of 14-year old Emmett Till.

In 1955, a 14-year old black Chicago youth travelled to the Mississippi Delta with country kinfolk and Southern cooking on his mind.  He walked off the train and into a world he could never understand.  It was a world of thick color lines, of hard-held class systems and unspeakable taboos.  Young Emmett crossed that line and stepped into his gruesome fate by whistling at a white woman.  This riveting play chronicles the murder, trial and unbelievable confession of the men accused of Till’s lynching.  His death was a spark that ignited the Civil Rights Movement in America.

Portraying an entire cast of black, white, male and female characters, Mike Wiley’s solo-performance reminds us that we are all one humanity.  It is a living monument and tribute to the change-making unsung heroes from the African-American experience. Dar He offers a powerful lesson of truth and the triumph of the human spirit.