Events Calendar

As part of West Michigan’s Loving Day Celebration, Ebony Road Players is proud to present another moving stageplay, “Alabama Story” by Kenneth Jones. This year, we’ve partnered with the Grand Rapids Public Museum to bring this compelling story to life.

As the Civil Rights movement is flowering, a controversial children’s book about a black rabbit marrying a white rabbit stirs the passions of a segregationist State Senator and a no-nonsense State Librarian in 1959 Montgomery, Alabama. A contrasting story of childhood friends–an African-American man and a woman of white privilege, reunited in adulthood–provides a private counterpoint to the public events swirling in the state capital. Political foes, star-crossed lovers, and one feisty children’s author inhabit the same page in a Deep South of the imagination that brims with humor, heartbreak, and hope. Inspired by true events.

Playwright Kenneth Jones characterized Alabama Story this way: “It’s a romance, a political thriller, a memory play, a workplace drama, a tearjerker, a comedy, a discussion about race, censorship, and political desperation, and a rumination on the power of books. Most important, it’s a play about how we behave when we face terrible circumstances — how character is revealed in times of transition, change, and crisis.”

As part of West Michigan’s Loving Day Celebration, Ebony Road Players is proud to present another moving stageplay, “Alabama Story” by Kenneth Jones. This year, we’ve partnered with the Grand Rapids Public Museum to bring this compelling story to life.

As the Civil Rights movement is flowering, a controversial children’s book about a black rabbit marrying a white rabbit stirs the passions of a segregationist State Senator and a no-nonsense State Librarian in 1959 Montgomery, Alabama. A contrasting story of childhood friends–an African-American man and a woman of white privilege, reunited in adulthood–provides a private counterpoint to the public events swirling in the state capital. Political foes, star-crossed lovers, and one feisty children’s author inhabit the same page in a Deep South of the imagination that brims with humor, heartbreak, and hope. Inspired by true events.

Playwright Kenneth Jones characterized Alabama Story this way: “It’s a romance, a political thriller, a memory play, a workplace drama, a tearjerker, a comedy, a discussion about race, censorship, and political desperation, and a rumination on the power of books. Most important, it’s a play about how we behave when we face terrible circumstances — how character is revealed in times of transition, change, and crisis.”

As part of West Michigan’s Loving Day Celebration, Ebony Road Players is proud to present another moving stageplay, “Alabama Story” by Kenneth Jones. This year, we’ve partnered with the Grand Rapids Public Museum to bring this compelling story to life.

As the Civil Rights movement is flowering, a controversial children’s book about a black rabbit marrying a white rabbit stirs the passions of a segregationist State Senator and a no-nonsense State Librarian in 1959 Montgomery, Alabama. A contrasting story of childhood friends–an African-American man and a woman of white privilege, reunited in adulthood–provides a private counterpoint to the public events swirling in the state capital. Political foes, star-crossed lovers, and one feisty children’s author inhabit the same page in a Deep South of the imagination that brims with humor, heartbreak, and hope. Inspired by true events.

Playwright Kenneth Jones characterized Alabama Story this way: “It’s a romance, a political thriller, a memory play, a workplace drama, a tearjerker, a comedy, a discussion about race, censorship, and political desperation, and a rumination on the power of books. Most important, it’s a play about how we behave when we face terrible circumstances — how character is revealed in times of transition, change, and crisis.”

As part of West Michigan’s Loving Day Celebration, Ebony Road Players is proud to present another moving stageplay, “Alabama Story” by Kenneth Jones. This year, we’ve partnered with the Grand Rapids Public Museum to bring this compelling story to life.

As the Civil Rights movement is flowering, a controversial children’s book about a black rabbit marrying a white rabbit stirs the passions of a segregationist State Senator and a no-nonsense State Librarian in 1959 Montgomery, Alabama. A contrasting story of childhood friends–an African-American man and a woman of white privilege, reunited in adulthood–provides a private counterpoint to the public events swirling in the state capital. Political foes, star-crossed lovers, and one feisty children’s author inhabit the same page in a Deep South of the imagination that brims with humor, heartbreak, and hope. Inspired by true events.

Playwright Kenneth Jones characterized Alabama Story this way: “It’s a romance, a political thriller, a memory play, a workplace drama, a tearjerker, a comedy, a discussion about race, censorship, and political desperation, and a rumination on the power of books. Most important, it’s a play about how we behave when we face terrible circumstances — how character is revealed in times of transition, change, and crisis.”

Anishinaabe Culture Day returns Wednesday, October 11. Programming allows students to learn about Native American regalia, dance, and music and immerse themselves in the rich history of local Native American cultures. Authentic dancing and drumming sessions leave memorable impressions and activities include traditional story-telling, demonstrations, and interactive stations hosted by Native American Community organizations including pottery, basket and bowl making, and corn husk dolls. 

Students will also visit the Museum’s exhibit, Anishinabek: The People of this Place. This exhibit highlights the Odawa, Potawatomi, and Ojibwe people of West Michigan and provides an understanding of the Native American culture through rare artifacts and displays.

Anishinaabe Culture Day attendance: $2 program fee + general admission for scheduled school groups.

Partners: City of Grand Rapids, Anishinaabe Circle, and Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi: Northern Administrative Office.
Sponsors: Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., Huntington Bank, Anishinaabe Circle, MSU Federal Credit Union