Historic Burke Foundation to host one-man show on NC Black veterans

Burke County residents will have a chance to hear the stories of Black veterans and freedom fighters with North Carolina ties through a one-man presentation being brought to the community by Historic Burke Foundation.

“The Ongoing Fight for Freedom: Stories of NC Black Veterans” is described as a performance and historical presentation that lifts up the stories of Black men and women connected to North Carolina who fought for freedom, liberty, and equality over more than 400 years, both on and off the traditional battlefield.

The Monday, June 1, event begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Burke Arts Council in Morganton. Doors open at 6 p.m. The limited-seating event is free and open to the public.

The presentation is written and performed by Dr. Sonny Kelly, a professional performer, storyteller, scholar and founder of Legacy Heirs Productions. Kelly is a U.S. Air Force veteran and a full-time communication instructor at Fayetteville Technical Community College. He holds a doctorate from UNC-Chapel Hill, along with degrees from Stanford University and St. Mary’s University.

For Burke County audiences, the program offers a local opportunity to engage with a broader part of state and American history that is often under-told, while tying that history to the ongoing national conversation about citizenship, service and equality.

The performance focuses on both well-known and lesser-known Black veterans and freedom fighters with North Carolina connections. It frames their experiences as part of a centuries-long struggle in which Black Americans helped shape the nation’s democracy while often being denied its full promises and protections.

Organizers say the goal is not only to tell those stories, but to help audiences better understand the country’s founding ideals and the gap that has often existed between those ideals and lived reality.

It is both a cultural presentation and a history program, one that connects military service, racial history and civic memory in a way that can deepen public understanding here in Burke County, according to organizers.

Historic Burke Foundation is presenting the event with support from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

The program fits with Historic Burke Foundation’s broader role in preserving and presenting local and regional history, while also bringing outside scholars, performers and interpreters into Burke County for public programs.

— AVN