The Academy Awards for Activists
Late in Act Two of CELEBRATE THE CHILDREN OF RESISTANCE, Optimus, of the hip hop duo, Foundation Movement, reeled off the names of legends in the house and on stage. “It’s like the Academy Awards for activists!” he yelled to laughter and applause. For many, his group’s performance and those of the three teenage readers, were among the high points of a remarkable evening of community building, story-telling and entertainment—an evening of “carrying it forward.”
The sense of shared purpose and inspiration that permeated the entire production was palpable both backstage and among the 1,050 people who filled John Hancock Hall at Boston’s Back Bay Events Center. Those who have been part of past incarnations of this program universally agreed that this performance of CELELBRATE, (which like all earlier versions, was written by Elli Meeropol), was the strongest yet.
A dramatization of the vigil in NYC’s Union Square on the night of the Rosenbergs’ executions 54 years earlier mirrored a later segment in which protesters shouted, “No Blood for Oil! Close Guatánamo! Free Mumia!” and ad-libbed, “Impeach Bush and Cheney—Elect Angela Davis!” A new scene depicting a modern-day visit between two daughters and their political prisoner father echoed the sentiments expressed by the death row letters of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, read by Eve Ensler and David Strathairn.
Iraq War veteran Camilo Mejía, jailed by the military after refusing to return to the conflict, received one of the many standing ovations of the night when he relayed his harrowing story of resistance and described what the RFC’s support has meant to his relationship with his young daughter. Angela Davis was an eloquent narrator and her scene with Howard Zinn moved the crowd. Other readers included activists and artists from the Boston area; (Felix Arroyo, Margaret Burnham, Soffiayh Elijah, Sarah Hinton, Tony Kahn, Rhea Kroutil and Sofia Snow); former RFC beneficiary, Asantewa Sunni-Ali; and Robert, Michael and Jenn Meeropol. Martín Espada recited his poetry. Michael and his wife, Ann Meeropol, were joined by Karen Brandow and Charlie King for a folk music set; Pamela Means performed “Strange Fruit”; Foundation Movement shook up the crowd with their searing but uplifting performance; and the amazing, 70+ member Workmen’s Circle Yiddish Chorus, completed what Artistic Director, Sheryl Stoodley, jokingly called the “cast of thousands.”
The RFC has received many communications from audience members and performers describing their experiences. The following excerpts are representative:
“Celebrate the Children of Resistance was a wonderfully uplifting even… In this period of reaction and "terrorist" hysteria, the fact that this celebration took place was particularly important.”
“I [felt] the great energy and community formed and I'm still floating on it.”
“RFC provides desperately needed left wing culture-- which we so miss most of the time.”
“[The RFC] did a wonderful job at making the Rosenbergs live and their legacy thrive. I was happy to be a part of the event.”
The most rewarding aspect of the 2007 production of CELEBRATE THE CHILDREN OF RESISTANCE was its emphasis on passing along progressive culture and social justice activism to future generations. The evening proved that Ethel and Julius were justified to write in their last letter to their sons that they were “comforted in the sure knowledge that others would carry on after us.”
Starring: Angela Davis Eve Ensler David Strathairn Howard Zinn Readings: Felix Arroyo Margaret Burnham Soffiyah Elijah Sarah Hinton Tony Kahn Rhea Kroutil Jenn Meeropol Michael Meeropol Robert Meeropol Camilo Mejía Sofia Snow Asantewa Sunni-Ali Poetry: Martín Espada Music: Boston Workmen’s Circle A Besere Velt (A Better World) Yiddish Chorus Foundation Movement Charlie King & Karen Brandow Pamela Means Michael & Ann Meeropol