The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’ Andrew W. Mellon Playwright-in-Resident Regina Taylor recently premiered The Black Album.Mixtape Dinner. The event was presented via the organization’s YouTube and Facebook pages with a discussion about the intersectionality of race for African Americans in St. Louis.
Rebeccah Bennett, founder of Emerging Leaders, moderated the conversation featuring a cross-section of the community. Speakers included Jamilah Nasheed, former Missouri state senator; Shay Gillepsie, diversity business development manager for World Wide Technology and founder of Color Coded Kids; Kayla Reed, co-founder and executive director of Action St. Louis; Tef Poe, rapper and activist; and Hana Sharif, artistic director at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.
Chef David Kirkland of Turn Restaurant — who prepared a four course meal — joined the panel in sharing their thoughts on being part of and detailed their thoughts on St. Louis and the Black experience.
Nasheed, who grew up in the Darst-Webbe projects, experienced substantial loss while living in her southside neighborhood. When her father returned from the Vietnam War, he was killed in a drive-by shooting. Two years later, her mother committed suicide. Nasheed grew up with her grandmother.
“I choose this city because I’m an artist who doesn’t believe in arts for art’s sake alone,” Sharif said. “I chose this work because I believe fundamentally that art is a method for transformation and liberation.”
“If you can’t make it in St. Louis you can’t make it anywhere,” Nasheed said. “It’s very traumatizing for a child to grow up without a mother or a father. Just imagine going through life from two-years-old to 49-years-old and still wanting to see your mama or wanting to pick up the phone and call your daddy.”
Poe, rapper, and activist, is a pillar in the community. He stressed the importance of working from the inside out to change the city’s racist climate. That change begins with recognizing the need to restructure an oppressive system.
“I’ve had to find ways to evangelize St. Louis all across the world,” Poe said. “White St. Louis is a figment of people’s imagination because white St. Louis doesn’t really exist. I shouldn’t have to say Black St. Louis because Black St. Louis is the dominant St. Louis.”
Bennett expressed that the places of greatest pain also have the greatest medicine. She posed the question, “what is the potent medicine that helps to advance liberation within these spaces?’
Reed responded, noting that liberation starts with knowing how to properly define it and a willingness to dismantle white supremacy.
“Liberation is about dismantling systems of oppression,” Reed said. “In a country like the United States I don’t think that’s possible just within one locality, but I think we should try anyway to build power and practice liberation as we seek to dismantle these systems. “
Sharif, who divided her upbringing between Atlanta and Houston; and Taylor, who grew up in Dallas, Texas, both agreed they came to St. Louis because of its roots, rich in Black history.
“I choose this city because I’m an artist who doesn’t believe in arts for art’s sake alone,” Sharif said. “I chose this work because I believe fundamentally that art is a method for transformation and liberation.”
Taylor designed The Black Album.Mixtape to be thought-provoking. It serves in a way for everyone to hear and reckon with each other accordingly. The project’s first event in the series was a collaboration with Southern Methodist University, where participants submitted original works of multimedia art, video, audio, written work, and discussion pieces describing Black experiences and impressions. The project is an ongoing piece that brings attention to the impact of 2020, COVID-19, and recent socioeconomics protests and tasks.
Taylor, a Golden Globe award-winning actress has entertainment credits in television, film, and Broadway theatre. She won an academy award for her role in “I’ll Fly Away,” has played recurring roles in CBS’s “The Unit,” “Lean on Me,” “Clockers,” and most recently guest starred in an episode of HBO’s “Lovecraft Country.”
The Rep is the St. Louis region’s most distinguished professional theatre company. Since its founding in 1966, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis has operated as a fully professional theatrical company which belongs to the League of Resident Theatres, The League of St. Louis Theatres, and is a constituent member of Theatre Communications Group, Inc.
Visit www.repstl.org for more information.
