A simple black tapestry draped over a folding chair provided powerful backdrops for a humorous-yet-haunting exploration of the practice of segregation Tuesday night during a Black History Month event at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History.
With a crowd of more than 100 that included both the young and old, actor and playwright Mike Wiley changed accents and personalities dozens of times, portraying in one moment a segregationist and a Topeka, Kan., resident who wants to send his little girl to an all-white school the next.
Wiley’s performance was centered around the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court case in 1954, in which the court struck down the practice of segregation.
“He makes history come alive,” said county resident Alice Brim. “He’s entertaining and informative at the same time.”
Read more: Mount Airy News - ‘We shall overcome’
