Mike Wiley Play Examines Impact of Brown v. Board of Education
Mike Wiley Play Examines Impact of
Brown v. Board of Education
Acclaimed actor and playwright Mike Wiley returned to Piedmont Arts’ performing arts series with his one-man play, Brown v. Board of Education: Over 50 Years Later, on Tuesday, May 17. He performed at PHCC’s Walker Fine Arts Center.
Written and performed by Wiley, Brown v. Board of Education focused on the landmark Supreme Court case in which the Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. Wiley's play revealed how the ruling affected families, communities and his own life.
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| (L–R) Piedmont Arts Board member Joyce Staples, Mike Wiley, Dr. Angeline Godwin, Dr. Paulette Simington and attorney Robert Williams participated in the panel discussion |
A panel discussion on the impact of the ruling, led by Piedmont Arts Board member Joyce Staples, followed the performance. Wiley and community members Dr. Angeline Godwin, Dr. Paulette Simington and attorney Robert Williams participated in the discussion.
“We are honored to bring Mike Wiley back to our community,” said Executive Director Kathy Rogers. “His plays not only focus on African-American history, but transcend time to examine the impact of historical events on life today. Mike’s plays are always engaging and offer the audience a chance to participate via discussion and by joining in the performance.”
Through Piedmont Arts’ performing arts series, Wiley has introduced countless students and the community to the legacies of Emmett Till, Henry “Box” Brown and Jackie Robinson. Wiley has a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is the 2010 and 2014 Lehman Brady Visiting Joint Chair Professor in Documentary Studies and American Studies at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to his numerous school and community performances, he has also appeared on Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel and National Geographic Channel and has been featured in Our State magazine and on PBS’ North Carolina Now and WUNC’s The State of Things.
“We are honored to bring Mike Wiley back to our community,” said Executive Director Kathy Rogers. “His plays not only focus on African-American history, but transcend time to examine the impact of historical events on life today. Mike’s plays are always engaging and offer the audience a chance to participate via discussion and by joining in the performance.”
Through Piedmont Arts’ performing arts series, Wiley has introduced countless students and the community to the legacies of Emmett Till, Henry “Box” Brown and Jackie Robinson. Wiley has a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is the 2010 and 2014 Lehman Brady Visiting Joint Chair Professor in Documentary Studies and American Studies at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to his numerous school and community performances, he has also appeared on Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel and National Geographic Channel and has been featured in Our State magazine and on PBS’ North Carolina Now and WUNC’s The State of Things.
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