National Coalition Against Censorship, Dramatists Guild and Arts Integrity Initiative Take Stand on Cherry Hill RAGTIME Censorship

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, this spring, Cherry Hill High School will perform a different kind of Ragtime- without any racist or offensive language included. The school explains in an official statement:

The Cherry Hill High School East community is approaching the production of this show from a learning disposition. Within our educational community we have been engaging in a dialogue regarding the offensive language in the show. We are indebted to the Cherry Hill African American Civic Association as well as individuals in our community for joining us in this discussion regarding the use of bigoted language in the script. After a very open and productive meeting between representatives from the East Staff and the Cherry Hill African American Civic Association, we confirmed the decision to remove offensive language from the enacted script. In addition, all students at Cherry Hill High School East will participate in learning activities stemming from Ragtime in an effort to use our history to further expose the ugliness of racism. We apologize for any negative impact that the potential inclusion of the racist language had on members of our community and we are thankful that we have educational leaders, student leaders, and community leaders with whom we can partner when concerns arise.

Now the National Coalition Against Censorship, Dramatists Guild and Arts Integrity Initiative have responded to the Cherry Hill School Board:

Dear President Dickinson and Members of the Board:

As a coalition of organizations concerned with protecting free artistic expression, we write to express our concerns about the redaction of racial epithets from the musical Ragtime at Cherry Hill High School East. We urge you to reconsider this educationally harmful and legally problematic decision and allow the musical to be staged in its full integrity.

Our understanding is that Cherry Hill High School East has been preparing to stage a production of the Tony Award-winning musical Ragtime for the last several months with the play scheduled to open on March 10. On January 18 the Camden County East Branch of the NAACP sent a letter to Superintendent Joseph Meloche and condemned the decision to perform a musical that included racial slurs. The Cherry Hill African American Civil Association also met in person with the administration to express its concerns. Soon afterwards, school officials released a statement saying the school would "remove offensive language from the enacted script." The musical is set in the early 1900s and explores the lives of a wealthy white American family, a family of Jewish immigrants, and an African-American ragtime musician in Harlem. At several times throughout the musical, characters utter a racial slur.

Staging a musical provides an engaging educational experience. Musicals enable student-actors to explore and embody perspectives and social circumstances that differ from their own. At their best musicals deeply move audience members to think about the complexities of the human experience. Ragtime, of course, is no exception to this rule, as those who perform and view the show will gain insights into American culture of the early twentieth century.

Redacting the script will undercut these benefits. Ragtime's use of racial slurs is an historically accurate and necessary aspect of a play that explores race relations in the early 1900s. Ragtime helps minors understand the brutalities of racism and the anger that has historically accumulated, partly through the use of racially offensive language. In contrast, censorship of such language ignores historical reality and presents a falsified, whitewashed view of race relations. Censoring the play will only perpetuate ignorance of our past.

While we empathize with concerns about the emotionally disturbing effects of hearing or uttering racial slurs, we believe such concerns are to be resolved through educational means, not by censoring a renowned text. In our experience, similar concerns (around productions of To Kill a Mockingbird or Of Mice and Men, for instance) have best been confronted through dialogue rather than censorship. As Cherry Hill Public Schools has noted in its statement, students "will participate in learning activities stemming from Ragtime in an effort to use our history to further expose the ugliness of racism." These activities will benefit all students, especially if they allow students to explore the complex relationship between free speech, theater, history, and literature. On the other hand, censorship will not "expose the ugliness of racism." Rather, it will further obscure it.

Finally, we note that unauthorized modifications to Ragtime's script may violate copyright law and licensing agreements. In the absence of explicit permission from copyright holders, any modification of the text can lead to a revocation of Cherry Hill High School East's right to perform the musical.

In summary, we urge you to reconsider and reverse your decision to censor Ragtime. When paired with learning activities that further explore historical racism, performance of the uncensored musical will provide students with valuable and enriching educational experiences.

Sincerely,

Svetlana Mintcheva
National Coalition Against Censorship

Ralph Sevush
Dramatists Guild of America

Howard Sherman
Arts Integrity Initiative

"Concerns regarding the emotional impact of certain words are completely understandable," said NCAC's Director of Programs Svetlana Mintcheva said in a statement. "However, to teach students about why words matter, why they can hurt us today, we need an understanding of history. Censorship does not enhance such understanding, it simply represses issues we urgently need to talk about."

Additionally, original star of Ragtime Brian Stokes Mitchell has weighed in on the matter, saying, "To take the ugly language out of Ragtime is to sanitize it and that does it a great disservice." Read his full comments HERE.