The Struggle for Freedom in Maryland: A 'Living History Performance' at UMBC

The stories are deeply personal and the honesty is incredibly revealing; filled with moments of love, pain and triumph, For All the World to Hear is making an impact in the Baltimore community.

On Friday, Feb. 15, ten Baltimore-area speakers will communicate their experiences of solidarity, prejudice and victory within the struggle for equality during the American civil rights movement in the live program, For All the World to Hear: Stories from the Struggle for Civil Rights.

This production invites listeners into a movement that transformed our nation, and for those that have been shielded from life under Jim Crow Laws, it brings to life the reality and horror of injustice experienced by those of the time. In the performance, Shirley and John Billy detail what it was like to be an interracial couple in Maryland in the 1950’s, Janice Grant describes the ups and downs in her career as an activist and Woody Grant describes the first time he heard the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Hear these stories and many others in the performance -- an important addition to Black History Month programming in Baltimore.

Preview the performance at foralltheworldtohear.org.

For All the World to Hear is a community outreach program of UMBC’s Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture (CADVC) inspired by the traveling, multimedia exhibition currently on display in the CADVC gallery, For All the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights. The production, currently the National Endowment for the Humanities “featured project,” is a slice of “living history,” and its contributions to the richness of Baltimore’s historicity has been noted in several publications and repeatedly featured in local radio and television programming.

For All the World to Hear returns to UMBC on February, 15 at 10:30 a.m. in the campus’ Fine Arts Recital Hall. Find more about the event, including directions and parking information, at UMBC’s Arts and Culture Calendar. View other performance times at the event’s website.