My Son- A Theatrical Experience

Abstract

Confrontations between law enforcement and the black community have too often turned deadly leaving immense strain on the relationship between the two. Since the days the early immigrants migrated to America and the first African slaves were imported to America an oppressive power dynamic has existed between the groups. Much research has been paid to the ways in which this dynamic exist but little has been done to uncover the psychological effects this century's year old tension creates maintains and passes down. In this essay we will discuss some of the history between the African American community and law enforcement, the ways in which community violence effects parenting and how the community deals with loss of a loved one. These emotional reflections of the African American community in the wake of an officer involved shooting will be turned into a theatrical event; a play entitled My Son.