The struggle and sacrifice for civil rights in America is witnessed in this compelling story. Living Voices is a Northwest nonprofit performing group that brings history to life with multimedia presentations. This presentation is engaging for all ages, and recommended for students 6th grade and above.
The Right to Dream recreates a young man's coming of age as an African American in Mississippi during the 50's and 60's. This program illuminates the issues of civil rights, leading audiences to understand how the fight against prejudice has shaped our history. This program is presented in conjunction with Skagit Valley College, with net proceeds benefitting their Champions of Diversity Scholarship Program. A discussion will follow this production.
THE STORY:
Raymond Hollis is the Mississippi son of a W.W.II African American soldier. His mother is a domestic worker who is respected in their small Mississippi town. As a young boy Raymond befriends a white boy and the two become great pals.
The Right to Dream follows Raymond's life after he is no longer allowed to see his friend. Raymond becomes aware that segregation and inequality must be ended in order to imagine a brighter future for himself and his family.
When Raymond wins a scholarship to Tougaloo College he becomes involved with SNCC
(Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) and takes part in the sit-ins and protests of the early 1960's. When friends are hurt, and civil rights workers are killed, Raymond's
dedication to creating a color blind society is tested. After attacks by state troopers in Selma, Alabama - and the following march from Selma to Montgomery - Raymond and the civil rights workers are rewarded with the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Raymond, inspired by Martin Luther King, dedicates himself to continuing the fight against racism and raising his people out of the world of intolerance.