February marks Black History
Month and a Hudson Valley organization is honoring it in a special way this
year.
Judith Beville, the
Greenburgh town clerk, is the founder of The 400 Years Project, which is an
effort to appreciate contributions of people of African descent in Westchester
and beyond.
This year, the organization
is sponsoring a virtual play called “Shot — Caught a Soul” that hopes to open
up a conversation about untold stories of racism. “The play is about a
young African-American male teen who was shot and killed by a Caucasian police
officer. The teen comes back in a spiritual form to speak to the officer,
really to speak to his conscious, about why did this have to happen. It’s a
compelling and powerful statement because it doesn't deal with hostility, but
deals with humanity,” says Beville.
Beville says there are
several reasons why the 30-minute, one act play is important. "Our
governor is requiring all local municipalities to come up with a plan that is
going to address police/community relations, and improve police/community
relations. This is a conversation that’s happening across the country and in
our own backyards.”
The free and virtual
performance will be on Feb. 16 at 7 p.m.
followed by a discussion.
Please contact Latasha
Jackson,
ljackson@cmgpr.com to RSVP with your
name and email address so you will be sure to receive the Zoom link for “Shot —
Caught a Soul.”