Living History Artist

gwendolyn@woventales.com

Gwendolyn is dedicated to studying the character, philosophy, courage and grace that have helped black American women survive and flourish.

"Gwendolyn's re-enactment was compelling for its aura of authenticity. We believe that her insistence on verifying the facts through her own research of primary sources contributed to her ability to recreate the era so effectively. She was an arresting presence in her period gown as she took us to the time and let us be witness to the events.,"

- Vivian Papson, Program Chairperson NCURHA

Venues in New England outside Connecticut can now apply for funding for Qwendolyn’s presentations through the

New England States Touring Grants program

of the New England Foundation for the Arts.

 If I Am Not for Myself Who Will Be for Me   During the fall of 1796, George Washington’s final months in office, Oney Judge Staines, a slave, escaped the Executive Mansion in Philadelphia.  There is always an underside - hidden from sight the more unpleasant or reprehensible side that needs to surface to give an integral portrait of a historical event or person. Oney’s story is one such story. Her voice provides the informative accounts needed to appreciate her struggles, self-determination and triumphs of her life. Her account was not a stereotypical runaway account.

I Can’t Die but Once   Harriet Tubman a woman of unique qualities and abilities even though she was illiterate, maintained an unblemished record of vigilance, legacy of sacrifice and struggle.  Harriet Tubman weaves a tale of truth, pain; courage and determination that take the audience into her life - enslaved - eventual escape and the United States Government soliciting her unique talent - evading capture behind enemy lines. They enlisted her as a scout and spy for the Union cause and she battled courageously behind enemy lines during the Civil War.  The elementary school version may be more palatable, but the real Tubman is far more inspiring.

Looking Things Over       Zora Neale Hurston considered one of the pre-eminent writers of twentieth-century African-American literature, an American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, and anthropologist. After going to Florida in 1927 to collect folklore, and after years of organizing her notes published Mules and Men in 1935.  Zora, not only did she love writing the folklores she enjoyed telling them.   Zora celebrated the African American culture of the rural South, because she believed that black people had wonderful stories that the world needed to hear and she told them proudly.  

 HARLEM RENAISSANCE

“I Promoted Myself”  Madam CJ Walker  She was an Entrepreneur, philanthropist, and activist.  She followed her dream, turning her life into a true “rages to riches” story.  Mobilized a network of 20,000 African American women as sales agents, factory, and office workers. Her sales agents earned between $5.00 and $15.00 dollars a day when unskilled white laborers were earning $11.00 a week. More than a history lesson, she offers inspiration to women – regardless of race—on how to succeed against all odds. Madam Walker’s death was news all over the world, “the wealthiest Negro woman in the United States, if not the entire world.”

 Workshop:   Jim Crow it Was Law  In the early 1830’s Thomas Dartmouth Rice created the antebellum character Jim Crow. “Daddy Rice” was a white actor who performed, in blackface, a song-and-dance whose exaggerations popularized racially demeaning minstrel shows. The name “Jim Crow” came to denote segregation in the 19th century when Southern and Border states passed “Jim Crow laws,” legitimizing a racial caste system.

The Workshop will show historical racial stereotypes of African Americans and that many of these distorted images still exist in society today. Participants will talk about strategies for intervention and implications into racial stereotypes.

Middle School to Adults.       Stereotype Racist Memorabilia Displayed at Workshop

Middle School to Adults.       Stereotype Racist Memorabilia Displayed at Workshop

The Workshop will show historical racial stereotypes of African Americans and that many of these distorted images still exist in society today. Participants will talk about strategies for intervention and implications into racial stereotypes.

Middle School to Adults.       Stereotype Racist Memorabilia Displayed at Workshop