Photos: THE DOUBLE V at International City Theatre

Activism that altered the color of a nation. Michael A Shepperd directs “The Double V,” a historical drama by Carole Eglash-Kosoff about the first Black civil rights movement in the U.S. Previews begin this Wednesday at International City Theatre, with the opening set for Friday night.

In 1942, his attempt to enlist in the army rejected because of his color, 26-year-old James G. Thompson of Wichita, Kansas wrote a letter to the editor of The Pittsburgh Courier, at the time the most highly circulated Black newspaper with a readership of over 350,000. “Should I sacrifice my life to live half American?” he asked… leading the Courier to kick off the “Double V” campaign. Building on the popular “V for Victory” slogan that called for triumph in the war, the super-imposed, second “V” called for victory in the fight for racial equality — in the army, the navy, and in all aspects of segregated daily life. Other Black newspapers, including the Chicago Defender and the Amsterdam Star-News, soon took up the call. Under pressure from the campaign, and against the advice of J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI, the U.S. was forced to adopt a policy of “proportional representation” that allowed Black Americans to participate in the military in direct proportion to their percentage of the population.

For more information and to purchase tickets, go to InternationalCityTheatre.org.
 

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