Show deals with diversity in American society

by Yvette Thomas
THE POST

Three people of different ethnicities and genders sit on a park bench, all reading copies of the same newspaper. The young Hispanic woman tells the story of a bombing that took place when she was in Jerusalem, but the black man interrupts her because he is offended by something she said. A Jewish white man joins the heated discussion. Soon, a full-scale conflict has begun, with issues of race and gender at the center.

So begins "one race, one people, one peace," a choreopoem that attempts to get to the center of race and diversity in America.

"I believe this kind of programming is essential," said James Chapmyn, the author of the production. He performed alongside two other actors, Rachelle Starson and Donny Monaco, both originally students of Schenectady County Community College in Schenectady, N.Y.

The performance began at 7 last night in the Baker Center Ballroom, and for about an hour and a half, music, movement and the spoken word delivered commentary on many issues including the civil rights movement, sexism, the murder of Matthew Shepard and the Oklahoma City bombing.

Music, ranging from gospel to Lauryn Hill’s hip-hop, filled the room as the actors took on different roles: an enthusiastic teacher shot to death by one of her own students, a friend of the murdered Matthew Shepard.

"It is a celebration of struggle," Chapmyn said of the performance. He is the founder of Chapmyn Spoken Word, which produced "one race, one people, one peace" as well as other works such as "Womyn with Wings and Violence."

Chapmyn said it took him about a year to write the production, and that it has been performed at least 100 times since its launch five years ago. He came to perform at OU because he has done several plays in the past here, and the university wanted to address issues of diversity, he said.

"I thought it was excellent," said Kathy Devecka, of Athens. "I thought they covered a lot of issues in a way that was both culturally on target and to the point politically."