Local Performance Group ‘Living Voices’ Celebrated Juneteenth Through A One-Man Performance

Local Performance Group ‘Living Voices’ Celebrated Juneteenth Through A One-Man Performance

Thursday, June 13, local performance group ‘Living Voices’ had one of their actors showcase “Our Revolution,” a production about the foundation of the United States from the perspective of a free Black colonist. It was performed as a one-man show in Bellevue City Hall in honor of the Juneteenth holiday. 

"In 2014, the City Council adopted a long-range vision for Bellevue that opens with the statement, 'Bellevue welcomes the world. Our diversity is our strength,'" Emily Inlow-Hood, Deputy Communications Officer for the City of Bellevue, said. "Acknowledging and learning from our past is essential to moving toward a Bellevue where everyone feels they belong."   

Juneteenth is a holiday to recognize the liberation of Black Americans on June 19, 1865, after centuries of enslavement and discrimination. This performance highlighted the fact that though “all men were created equal” in the American Constitution, Black Americans did not begin  receive legal equality for almost a century past the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 

In the performance, the actor took on the persona of Peter, a Black soldier in the Revolutionary War. He took the audience through his life during the war, and how it shaped his life after it ended. 

Living Voices is an acting organization that creates solo performances to tell historical tales from an ordinary person’s perspective. They have told stories set in times like the Holocaust, World War II and the Civil Rights movement. 

"We have worked with Living Voices for several years to deliver illuminating and impactful performances on topics that help our staff and community connect history to the issues facing our community today," Inlow-Hood said. "Their use of narrative and multimedia storytelling techniques helps contextualize very complex historical and social events in a way that is accessible for diverse groups of people."

The idea is that the event is described from the perspective of an ordinary person during the time of the event, typically fictional but using historically accurate information. 

The event was hosted by the City of Bellevue at City Hall, put together by the city's Diversity Advantage Team. DEI Community Outreach and Engagement Administrator Marcus Johnson, Deputy City Manager Joseph Todd, and Councilmember Jared Niuewenhuis attended and spoke at the event.

“It is about learning our country’s history," Dr. Linda Whitehead, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, said. "The visual performance told an important story about the contributions of African Americans in the fight for independence in the United States. It also highlighted how the past plays a role in shaping our perspectives of the present moment.”

 
To stay up-to-date on Living Voices and what shows they are performing in the future, visit their website.