Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 17, 1993 TAG: 9305170065
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"It wasn't supposed to be a documentary," Stephenson said by phone from his Ferrum office. "What I tried to do was capture the argument and the spirit of the gentlemen. If I've done it right, people will be able to see a little of both sides and see that each man in his own way was searching for the right answers."
He paused for a moment to reflect on the two famous educators' diverging political, social and educational philosophies and their theories on race relations.
"Actually, I guess we're still searching for the right answers," Stephenson said.
And so it seemed Sunday as about 25 people at the Harrison Museum of African American Culture viewed, questioned and interpreted Stephenson's play. Their reactions showed that many of the issues that arose during the fictitious meeting set in 1912 remain unresolved in 1993.
For example, there's the issue of education. DuBois, the son of freed men and the first black to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard University, backed classical education for a select "Talented Tenth" of blacks, who he said could in turn through political and cultural changes lead their people to equality.
Washington, on the other hand, was born a slave in Franklin County and held only an honorary doctorate. Yet he became the leading spokesman for blacks in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
He preached a separate-but-equal philosophy and said that a practical industrial education, as well as college and professional schools, would eventually lead to economic and social independence for blacks.
Several members of the Harrison audience pointed out that college-educated blacks today are not necessarily finding work in their chosen fields. Perhaps, one woman observed, there is a need in the current economy to rethink the respect and rewards given to blacks and others who work with their hands.
Stephenson's play had Washington and DuBois trying to decide which political party and candidate blacks should support. During their meeting, general mistrust of the political system and individual candidates was discussed as were the impact of the black vote, the basis of prejudice, the need for black-history studies and the widening rift between the two leaders themselves.
The Harrison audience found threads of Washington's and DuBois' conflicting philosophies in recent and present-day occurrences. Could Washington's philosophy of self-reliance have been a precursor to the black nationalist movement? one audience member asked. Another noted a possible connection between DuBois' Marxism and Malcolm X's exploration of socialism. Still another wondered how much DuBois' peace advocacy influenced Martin Luther King's nonviolent approach to civil rights.
A July 18 performance of "A Movement to Lead" is scheduled at the Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre in Ferrum. Call 365-4335.
by CNB