OnMilwaukee is proud to highlight Black History Month in Milwaukee and beyond. Our goal is to highlight even more Black-owned businesses and stories – so for starters, click here to learn more about awesome Black-owned restaurants and businesses around town!
In celebration of Black History Month, Black Arts MKE will present a new theatrical production for students called "Harlem Renaissance" by local playwright Malaina Moore.
The show is set inside Harlem’s legendary dancehall, The Savoy Ballroom, and will feature actors portraying four of the era’s icons: Ella Fitzgerald, Jacob Lawrence, Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes.
Starting next week, students from all over the city will attend shows free of charge every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in February at the Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall, 121 E. State St.
Through swing, jazz, storytelling, art and scatting, young audiences will be transported to a pinnacle moment in Black history.
“As a Black artist myself, writing and directing this piece has been an exciting and emotional journey. It’s important to me that these students understand the beauty and artistry that came out of the Harlem Renaissance,” says Moore.
These shows are not open to the public, but schools and organizations interested in registering for this production should contact Ashley Jordan, Director of Arts & Cultural Programming, at ajordan@blackartsmke.org.
“There is power in the students not only learning about the history but understanding that the performers and the crew working behind the scenes are all Black and based in Milwaukee," says Moore.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
