Local artist retells murder of Emmett Till in one-man show

Local actor and playwright Mike Wiley will examine modern racial issues through the lens of the 1955 murder of an African-American boy.

On Saturday, Wiley will perform his one-man show about the murder of Emmett Till, called “Dar He: The Story of Emmett Till,” at 2 p.m. at the Chapel Hill Public Library.

The free performance, hosted by the UNC Program in the Humanities and the Chapel Hill Public Library, is part of “Talking Race in the Shadow of Controversy,” a larger program meant to explore the discriminatory past of the Jim Crow era.

Saturday’s performance is only the first half of the “Talking Race” program. On Feb. 22, a discussion of a book written by Till’s mother “Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America” will take place.

Christie Norris, project director of the program in the humanities, said each of these community events at the Chapel Hill Public Library seek to explore Jim Crow’s impact on present-day society.

“The first 50 people who arrive for Mike Wiley will receive the book ‘Death of Innocence,’ which explores themes of racism and diversity,” Norris said.

“A great thing about Mamie Till-Mobley is how inspirational she is. She strives to make communities better than they are.”

After Wiley’s 90-minute show, Reginald Hildebrand, associate professor in the department of African, African-American and Diaspora studies, will host a discussion to foster community response to the show and to current events.

“One of the things that made us choose this play was a quote I heard about Trayvon Martin,” Norris said. “‘Trayvon Martin is the Emmett Till of our generation.’”

Susan Brown, Chapel Hill Public Library director, said the library’s role in “Talking Race” was offering the space and advertising the event.

“We are very happy to be the humanities program’s new sponsor because we have a beautiful new space here,” Brown said.

Norris and Brown began brainstorming for the “Talking Race” program last fall, after their first successful collaborative program, the screening of “The Loving Story.”

“In late May of last year, we said to each other ‘Let’s do some awesome stuff together,’” Brown said.

Stephen Barefoot, Wiley’s agent, said “Dar He” is a piece of documentary theater, and although it is a one-man show, there are close to 30 characters.

“This is one of Mike’s signature plays, and I hope people get a further awareness of the whole story of Emmett Till,” Barefoot said.

Norris said she wants the community to react on these issues and see the residual impact this event still has on society today.

“We can read in a book about Jim Crow history, but it’s hard to take in that this actually happened,” she said.

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