This play was amazing. There were many parallels between the end of the era slavery and the racial tensions that exists today. The author did an amazing job writing for the characters that played slaves and showing that they were multifaceted. I loved the character dynamic of Simon who refused to blindly align with the restrictions applied to him through slavery.
After the play ended there was a talk back where the playwright answered questions about the play and ideas behind some of his decisions. The audience addressed their discomfort in the presence of domestic abuse between the two married slaves throughout the play. People questioned why even black writers portray black people as aggressive and violent in the media made by and for people of color. A gentleman challenged the validity and accuracy of this relationship. Black men are not animals and not all abusive so why do we continue to perpetuate the presence these tendencies and stereotypes in the media as if it is true.
I heard these concerns but at the same time do not disagree with its presence in the play. It was not uncommon to find domestic abuse in this era because of how prevalent violence was in the everyday life of marginalized groups during this time period. Domestic abuse did not become as taboo and cautioned until recently. This is not to say that white men are not abusive too and I do agree that black men are very frequently villainized in the media but Pure Confidence was accurate. It depicted an accurate story for someone somewhere which is not to be generalized across an entire race of people. Pure Confidence is a story that needed to be told.
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