A noose hanging outside the Nyumburu Cultural Center last September conjured memories of hate and reminded the campus that its best efforts to create unity weren’t always enough. It incited rage, confusion and an newfound urgency to promote tolerance on the campus.
Five months later, many of the same questions leaders posed to packed student rallies in response to the noose still remain in the air. But with a series of monologues entitled “Whitewash,” senior Benji Fogelman looked for answers.
“When this happened I was like, ‘I don’t want to sit here anymore and not do anything,'” said Fogelman, the play’s lead actor and writer.
The 20-minute play featured seven characters raging from a white, male college student to an aging civil rights activist professor to a overly exuberant spokesman, all approaching the noose from different angles.
Based off a series of interviews Fogelman conducted in response to the noose, he said he tried to mock the university’s reaction to the incident.
The wishy-washy spokesman was the only recurring character throughout the play, as the others ranted, raved and argued about race relations on the campus.
In a dialogue held after the performance, director of the play assistant professor Leigh Smiley hoped the play would create some discussion about the incident she felt had not been fully addressed.
“I don’t think [the incident] was explored,” Smiley said. “Initially, I think it was buried. A play is another angle to explore the issue. I don’t think you can just walk away from racism.”
Junior government and politics major Richard Burdei offered a look at the play from a rational distance.
“At the time, it was a little bit like 9/11,” Burdei said. “It awakes emotion that eventually subsides. This is not any different. People scream and shout but then go back to their normal routine. This play is a refresher and offers a more logical look at it.”
Though intrigued and moved by the play, Burdei saw himself stewing over the points brought up for a while.
“It was original,” he said. “I’m still kind of thinking about it.”
Sophomore theater and art major Justin Fair said he felt that the proper voice had not been given to the issue after the incident occurred and saw the play as a way to finally serve as an outlet for these emotions.
“Right when it happened people got together to talk about it, but then people thought the black community talked too much and too loudly and then there was nothing,” he said.
Fogelman hatched the idea for the play out of this perceived apathy. In the beginning, he said he was unsure how to interpret the noose incident and felt the need to do something.
Fogelman grabbed a video camera and took it around campus with him, filming faculty, administration and student reaction to the hate crime.
Within weeks, he was writing a script.
“I could say I believe in a free America,” Fogelman said. “I could say I believe in a non-segregated state, but that wouldn’t add to anything to what I was doing. I was affected by something and thought, ‘What do I have to offer as a response?'”
