[hieroglyph]

By Erika Dickerson-Despenza

Co-production with SF Playhouse

Directed by Margo Hall 

March 13 - April 3, 2021

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On-demand streaming play

Involuntarily displaced in Chicago two months post-Katrina, 13-year-old Davis wrestles with the cultural landscape of a new city and school community while secretly coping with the PTSD of an assault at the Superdome. With her mother still in New Orleans committed to the fight for Black land ownership and her father committed to starting a new life in the Midwest, divorce threatens to further separate a family already torn apart. Will Davis be left hanging in the balance? [hieroglyph] traverses the intersection of environmental racism, sexual violence, and displacement, examining the psychological effects of a state-sanctioned man-made disaster on the most vulnerable members of the Katrina diaspora.

CONTENT ADVISORY:

[hieroglyph] contains depictions of violence and sexual abuse, which could be disturbing to some viewers.

COMING SOON: Intimate Apparel

We're excited to announce that we will be presenting an audio play of Lynn Nottage's Intimate Apparel. Our March 2020 production of this heart-rending work was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so we're thrilled to be able to share it with you.

More information will be available at a later date.

Margo Hall is honored by YBCA 100

Congratulations to our Artistic Director Margo Hall, named one of the honorees of this year's YBCA 100 list. This list celebrates everyday heroes—artists, activists, and community leaders—for their extraordinary commitment to building sustainable, equitable, and regenerative communities.

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Read more about YBCA 100 by clicking the links below.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Mary Ellen Pleasant

Mary Ellen Pleasant (1817-1904) was California’s first black female millionaire, the mother of civil rights in the state, as well as a successful San Francisco entrepreneur. She funded John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry; won equal rights for blacks to ride public transportation in San Francisco; provided escaped slave Archy Lee with shelter, and funded black enterprises, 100 years before Rosa Parks. A floor plaque memorializes her former Octavia Street residence near Sutter Street: Bell Mansion. SF Heritage offers insight into her life in this article. 

Black Slavery in California

Antebellum Slavery comes to mind with thoughts of American Slavery. But what about California Slavery? Surprising, right? This LA Times op-ed exposes why and how the South wasn’t the only region to keep Black people in bondage, and how Mormons played a major part in it. Is it no wonder this tidbit of history is purposely left out of the California Fourth Grade State History Standard? Click the link below to learn about this little-known California history.

HEALTHY LIVING

COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments

Moscone Center, South

Ready for your COVID-19 vaccination? Your waiting game may be over, or at least shortened, as San Francisco opened a high-volume COVID-19 vaccination site at Moscone Center, South. To see if you are eligible and for more information about scheduling an appointment, click below.