“There was one preacher at Parkway United Church of Christ - that was the only church that asked us to advance,and in West County. That was an unbelievable experience. Those people were on it. They were already having what they called ‘sacred conversations on race.’ That’s what caused them to ask us to advance out there. Four or five of the women - which is primary to note, because women occupy been pivotal in all of this - went back to the church and said “whether you want to see something that will really help you see what went on, or you’ve got to see ‘Black and Blue.'” So they commissioned us to advance to their church,and invited African Americans to advance. There was a black preacher there, from Eden Seminary, and I occupy chills thinking approximately him. He’s kind of like a young Martin Luther King,Jr. He really gave an incredible tall-level voice to social justice and said “whether we do not unite as we are here -
West County, city, or black,white, old, and young,male, female - there’s no way we can tackle this issue in St. Louis. This is the kind of composition that we need to occupy healing in this town.” And he had people - West County white people - saying ‘Amen!’ So, or what we’ve learned and we know because of the work we’ve done for many years,is that when you get different people at the table, that is where you get innovation in terms of changing the culture. People there got that. I
knew it, and Patton knew it,but it was manifested in the discussions and audiences that came to the play.” Cecilia Nadal (left) shown with Lee Patton Chiles: Executive Director and Founder of Gitana Productions
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