By Deirra Stevenson
Legendary Golden Globe award-winning actress and activist Regina Taylor ("I'll Fly Away" and HBO's" Lovecraft Country"), presented RESISTANCE 2024 at The Black Spectrum Theater in Queens, New York. RESISTANCE 2024 brings to life the opposition we face, including gun violence, the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, LGBTQ politics, and COVID-19 through a series of her short plays. In this exclusive interview, we discussed the playwright.
What is Resistance 2024 about, and why was it necessary to be viewed here at the Black Spectrum Theater?
Resistance 2024 is a series of short pieces about today's society, including politics, LBGTQ, gun violence, and what lies ahead in our history. I created this with a purpose; right now is not the time to be silent in creating a piece that draws the community to it so that they can see themselves in our world. These conversations are essential.
Why is right now the time? Is this play a warning of what's to come and how we need to change?
It's about what is happening in this moment and what happened before.
As an artist, I'm concerned, and I channel that concern through my work. It is a call and response: wanting intergenerational, different communities to come together to figure out what we will do and what lies ahead.
Looking at your career, when you were a little girl, did you always feel like you had a sense of purpose, being an actress and beyond? To care and be involved with the community and culture?
I grew up in the projects of West Dallas, Texas. My mother taught me to find my voice and to have my mind. She taught me to write to express myself, even in environments when people were trying to silence me, which is why I love writing so much and finding other creative ways to be heard. At this moment, I feel something very familiar as we roll back. People want our voices to be suppressed. What can I do to ignite people to know they can own their voice and that their voice matters?
What do you think of people in the entertainment industry being afraid to speak about justice in our communities?
We must have brave spirits who stand up and make a difference. In this industry, I stand on the shoulders of the late (icons) Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Cicely Tyson, Sidney Potier, and Harry Belafonte! They gave that standard to take the risk to speak up, be heard, and make a difference.
Does this generation also have its leaders?
Absolutely! It's part of the intergenerational exchange. Those conversations need to be had. We need to know where we came from and where we are right now. The strategies from before need to continue and adapt to these times.
Above: Regina Taylor and Deirra Stevenson. (Photo by Cynthia Horner.)
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