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The Point

by James Anthony Zoccoli (Jaz), Actor/Writer of Wiggerlover [white boy + black dad = grey areas]

The phrase “Black is Beautiful” was coined by the Abolitionists in America & a century later evolved into a full scale Cultural Movement.

The Last Poets wrote a song called “The White Man’s got a God Complex”

From all the empirical evidence that I had seen in all of my history classes & in the world at large, I couldn’t argue.

But my grandparents went from being borderline racists to downright civil rights activists as our family changed color.

So, when people ask the point of show, I’d have to say that the moral of the story is: “People are all the same on the inside, right?”

But that is not very interesting.

I guess I could have called the show: “People are all the same on the inside, right?”

& I guess I could have opened & closed the show with the statement: “People are all the same on the inside, right?”

But that sort of treatment is not convincing; it is certainly not compelling; and, it is difficult to make that sentiment comical.

It just so happens that one of the objectives of The NAACP is “to remove all barriers of racial discrimination through democratic process”.

Theatre might be the most democratic processes in existence.

An Artist produces a show.  The Public sees the poster, or hears word of mouth, or reads reviews & either goes or does not go.

Unlike television or the radio, you cannot accidentally tune into a play.  Which is why I didn’t just write these stories into a blog or put a video up on Youtube.

I could have even written a screenplay or pitched a situation comedy for television, but I opted to stand on stage & tell my stories the way they are meant to be told: personally.

So, I don’t expect to be able to go out & yell my story on the street corner any more than anybody should shout “Fire!” in a crowded theatre.

I just hope the seats are nice & full; I hope to see you there in the crowd.