About the Play
“I believe future generations will think of our times as the age of wholeness: when the walls began to fall; when the fragments began to be related to each other...”
- Lillian Smith, The Journey
Lillian Smith (1897-1966) was a white Southern liberal, unafraid to criticize segregation at a time when such actions almost guaranteed ostracism. In LILLIAN SMITH BEING HEARD, Lulu Fogarty explores the intersection of her life growing up in America today with that of Lillian Smith’s. Lillian Smith devoted her writing career to fighting against racism, segregation, and sexism in America. Lulu Fogarty tells of this brave woman’s life-long struggle to be heard, in her own words and on her own terms.
LILLIAN SMITH BEING HEARD asks the audience to consider who they choose to segregate themselves from. And why. In a post 9/11 America where immigration, gay rights, gun control and protesters proclaiming, "Black Lives Matter," occupy the headlines, who are we really afraid of? It concludes that while we have come a long way toward creating a world of acceptance, there is still a long way to go.
LILLIAN SMITH BEING HEARD asks the audience to consider who they choose to segregate themselves from. And why. In a post 9/11 America where immigration, gay rights, gun control and protesters proclaiming, "Black Lives Matter," occupy the headlines, who are we really afraid of? It concludes that while we have come a long way toward creating a world of acceptance, there is still a long way to go.
A letter of support from Nancy Smith Fichter
Lulu Fogarty has indeed “heard” Lillian Smith, and she has heard her in sensitive and significant ways.
She has not tried to imitate, replicate, or literally translate Lillian Smith. Instead she has let the vision, beliefs, humanity of the person move through her own sensibility and intelligence. In short, Fogarty’s work is not a strict biographical report, it is her response to a life that continues to leave message and meaning for us all.
Lulu Fogarty has spent time at the Lillian E. Smith Center, the site of the author’s home and her writing place. We have been moved and highly appreciative of Lulu’s talent and of her work. We are delighted that Lillian Smith: Being Heard will be passed on to others in futures venues.
-Nancy Smith Fichter, President, LES Foundation / Co-Director, LES Center
Learn more about Lillian Smith
Go to www.lillianesmith.org to learn more about Lillian.
