Blood at the Root at Western Connecticut State University

Inspired by the Jena Six and the “white tree.”

A new drama inspired by the conviction of six black teenagers for beating a white student after a noose was hung at their high school in Jena, Louisiana. This bold new play examines the miscarriage of justice and racial double standards in the Deep South.

BLOOD AT THE ROOT is a new drama inspired by the conviction of six black teenagers for beating a white student after a noose was hung at their high school in Jena, Louisiana. This bold new play examines the miscarriage of justice and racial double standards in the Deep South.

BLOOD AT THE ROOT by Dominique Morisseau is a new drama inspired by the Jena Six. The Jena Six were six black teenagers convicted in the beating of a white student at Jena High School in Jena, Louisiana. The six black students were charged with attempted murder for a schoolyard fight after nooses were hung from a large tree in the center of the school courtyard. The tree was referred to by students as the "white tree,” so when a black student requested to sit under the tree, nooses were hung the following day. The conviction of the Jena Six was cited as an example of racial injustice in the United States, due to a belief that the defendants had been charged with too-serious offenses and had been treated unfairly. This bold new play examines the miscarriage of justice, racial double standards, and the crisis in relations between men and women of all classes and, as a result, the shattering state of black family life.