Dr. Von Washington will be presenting a special program for the Schoolcraft Historical Society’s November meeting held at the Ladies Library building at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, November 5 and 6. Entitled “In Search of Giants, Ghost of the Underground Railroad” the retired professor from Western Michigan University will perform a reading of his newest Story Theatre creation.
The play is based in present day America, with the majority of it taken from the Underground Railroad museum. It reaches back to the heart-wrenching activities of slavery. He follows the modern day activities of a college professor, searching for his ancestral roots. It uses music, drama, and the spoken word, while blending the past with the present.
He will be assisted by six of his storytelling friends from Kalamazoo and Toronto. He is focusing on Pamela Thomas and the nationally known Henry Bibb who spoke so eloquently against slavery. Some of the Thomas family descendants are coming for the performance. The 92 year old great grandson and the great, great, great granddaughter who is an opera singer, who will also perform.