Play details role of women, girls in '67 rebellion

July 20, 2017

The untold story of the roles of women and girls who took part in the ’67 rebellion – developed through a MSU course where students researched the historic event – is the focus of a community play being performed in Detroit this month. 

“AFTER/LIFE: In Honor of the City Rising from the Ashes,” which commemorates the 50th anniversary from the perspective of the thousands of overlooked women and girls who rose up to burn their city down, is running through tomorrow at the Joseph Walker Williams Recreation Center, 8431 Rosa Parks Blvd.

“I was struck by the silence around women and girls’ involvement,” said Lisa Biggs, a Michigan State University Residential College in the Arts and Humanities professor who won a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation grant to fund the production.  “In ’67, they were pictured right alongside the men and boys on the streets. They put their bodies on the line, but from many written accounts you would never know it. I hope ‘AFTER/LIFE’ can better represent the past and create opportunities for audience members to dream a more fair, just and equitable future for Detroit residents.”

The play is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Biggs, an actress, playwright and performance scholar, serves as an assistant professor in RCAH.

Tickets are free but seating is limited. For more information or to buy tickets, visit the AFTER/LIFE website or contact the MSU Partnership Office at (313) 309-1683.

Read and watch more about AFTER/LIFE's production in the Detroit Public TV's American Black Journal, The Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Michigan Chronicle, Michigan Radio, and the Lansing State Journal.