During Black History Month, we recognize the many contributions that African Americans, past and present, have made to North Carolina’s history and culture and continue to make. In celebration, Tryon Palace presents Colored Silk: A Mother’s Civil War Odyssey at the North Carolina History Center, on Feb. 16, at 7 p.m. This enlightening one-woman play, performed by Tami Tyree, is based on the life of Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley (1818 – 1907). Playwright, historian, and actress, Tami Tyree, wrote the play, inspired by Elizabeth Keckley’s memoir, Behind the Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave, Four Years in the White House published in 1868.
Born a slave in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, Elizabeth (Lizzie)’s father was the owner of the plantation, Colonel Burwell. She became a seamstress and after having a child of her own, Keckley bought their freedom through her skills and her ability to promote her business and network. She rose to fame as Mary Todd Lincoln’s exclusive dressmaker during her White House years and is now recognized as America’s first black fashion designer/entrepreneur. The recollections in Keckley’s memoir have been used by many historians to learn more about the Lincoln White House.
Ms. Tyree’s dramatic portrayal takes flight from gently implied issues in “Lizzie” Keckley’s book. She delves into both the “glamour and grit” of her life. Colored not only with silks and satin, but also the scars of sexual trauma, complications of mulatto status, motherhood, and the battle for her and her son’s freedom, the story is one of love, marriage, and the ultimate sacrifice; a son as a casualty in the Civil War.
Following the performance, is a presentation featuring readers of letters from the National Archives written to President Lincoln by (black) Civil War mothers and soldiers in the United States Colored Troops.
Colored Silk: A Mother’s Civil War Odyssey will be performed one night only on Feb. 16, in the Cullman Performance Hall at the NC History, 529 S. Front Street, New Bern, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Attendance is FREE and open to the public.
For more information, call Sharon Bryant, Tryon Palace African American Outreach Coordinator at 252-639-3592.
Submitted by Nancy Figiel