Stringfellow Orchards

June 30, 2010

The Texas City/La Marque Chamber will hold a new member ribbon cutting for Stringfellow Orchards at 10am Wednesday June 30, 2010 at the property (7902 Hwy 6, Hitchcock, TX 77563).  Come out and celebrate the re-opening of the historic grounds for rental for special events.

June 19, 2010 event

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Go Down, Old Hannah: The Living History of African American Texans

Austin, Texas – June 6, 2010 – Go Down, Old Hannah:The Living History of African American Texans author Naomi Mitchell Carrier will autograph her book and present one of her plays at the Stringfellow Orchards 5^th Annual Juneteenth Festival, June 19, 2010 at 5:00 pm.  This groundbreaking publication zooms in on black history with a wide-angle lens on Texas and a telephoto on African Americans. Carrier’s 15 living history plays examine Texas slavery from a new perspective and have been performed for historic sites and museums throughout the state since 1994.

Talking Back Living History Theatre will present an excerpt from “Fugitives of Passion:  The Underground Railroad from Texas to Mexico,” a love story between a man and a woman, a woman and her child, which examines the conditions that impelled Cujo and Hannah to run.  Hannah had to leave her mulatto child, fathered by her master, to seek asylum with Cujo, who wanted to be treated like a man.           

While educators nationwide are sorting through reform initiatives to craft a way to deal with the ugly history of slavery, Carrier’s Appendix is full of lesson plans that reveal how overcoming slavery is a victory for both black people and for America.

The plays in Go Down, Old Hannah cover subject matter ranging from slave celebrations, family breakups, and escapes, to the Civil War, emancipation, and Reconstruction. There is even information on the Underground Railroad from Texas to Mexico.  Each play is research-based and performed by Talking Back Living History Theatre as a festival production; for students at universities and schools; for conferences and family reunions; and at libraries and museums. This unique University of Texas Press book is sure to appeal to teachers, historians, Texana enthusiasts, museum administrators, and students looking to fill in some of the missing pages in black history. Production notes make the plays fun and easy for classes to perform.

Go Down, Old Hannah is a bridge, a bridge for cross-cultural communication; a bridge from the past to future communication and understanding.  The plays were written to show the interdependence of Texas pioneers and their enslaved; and to show the intelligence and dignity of those denied the freedom of humanity.

Naomi Mitchell Carrier, teacher, researcher, playwright, pianist, composer, and actress is a consummate artist who has worked for thirty years as a classroom teacher and performer to bring a fresh perspective to Texas History.

Contact:

Jeani Mitchell

talkback13@hotmail.com

713-252-5326

www.godownoldhannah.org

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