Last weekend, I got the opportunity to see the play All God’s Chillun Got Wings. It was set in the 1920s during America’s blatantly racist past. The plot follows an interracial couple that have known each other since childhood. Jim is a black man who is struggling to pass his Bar exam, as he is an aspiring writer. Ella, the woman Jim is madly in love with, is a sought out for woman who ultimately marries Jim. The couple flee to France to escape the hatred against miscegenation that was prevalent at the time in the United States, especially with a white woman. However, when the got to France and were well received, the couple realized the issue was themselves. They were running away from an insecurity, which did not serve in dealing with that insecurity.
Once they returned to the United States, things took a turn for the worse. Ella was feigning insanity in order to keep her husband from passing his Bar exam. She could not be bear the thought of a black man becoming successful in a “white man’s world”. As a result, she did anything to keep Jim from achieving his dream. She oppressed Jim within his own household.
I think this play highlighted the battle of confronting and maintaining stereotypes about ourselves. Today, I doubt there would be that type of power dynamic in a relationship, but I still believe everyone has racial biases. This extreme scenario may have caused some people to confront their’s.
That sounds like an interesting play! I can’t believe that twist in the ending. I wonder if this situation has happened to other couples during the 1920s.
That is definitely an interesting plot. I would wonder why Ella chose to marry Jim, but then did not want him to be successful. I guess I should probably see it for myself!
I really wish I could have seen this play. I also agree with William, and quite frankly find Ella’s actions a bit selfish. It’s as if she can only look past the difference in her spouse’s skin color if she stands to gain personally (i.e. receives love and affection). If she doesn’t want her husband to succeed, can it really be called love?
This sounds like a really interesting play. I think that the extremity of the situation brings forward certain aspects of racial issues as well as relationship roles in society. Although I too believe that this would probably be an unlikely thing to encounter now a days, I think people still struggle with racial bias. I wish people would spend more time talking about the number of black males and females that have gone to college and have amazing jobs rather than the biased stories the media always covers which show violence and crime.