The Mourner’s Bench
Imagine your heart beating so loud that the slave catcher’s could hear
it as they surround the house you’re hiding in. Your back is up against
the wall. The sweat trickles down your back as your feet grip the floor
while you face the most dreadful and shocking horror of reality. You are
in a ‘do or die’ situation with only minutes to act…what do you do? Be
with Margaret Garner in her moments leading up to her fateful decision
and feel the painful struggle of a mother as she faces her most chilling
moment. The Margaret Garner story is one of the most significant
fugitive slave stories. You will feel the pulse of her blood as she
faces the horrific decision to sacrifice her own children rather than go
back to slavery. This piece demands attention as you travel with
Margaret Garner every step of her journey, hear the songs that slaves
used to communicate by and sway to the movement piece as she “wades in
the water”. Is Margaret Garner a child murderer or did she act out of a
mother’s love? You be the judge.
Who is Margaret Garner?
Margaret Garner was a slave who has garnered attention and sympathy for
killing her own daughter rather than see her child returned to slavery.
On January 28, 1856, she and her husband, Robert, escaped slavery and
fled to Cincinnati, Ohio, along with several other slave families. Slave
catchers and police found the Garners barricaded inside a former slave’s
home. Margaret, the mother of four children, declared that she would
kill herself and her children before she would return to bondage. The
fugitives were determined to fight for their freedom. However, realizing
their fate of being captured was imminent; Margaret Garner seized a
butcher knife and killed her two-year-old daughter. She was overtaken by
the slave catchers as she was preparing to kill her other children and
herself.
Margaret Garner’s life story is the foundation of Toni Morrison’s highly
praised novel Beloved.
History in a brand new light! You feel the passion of the person and the
intensity of the events. These two shows will provide moments of humor,
reflection and heartfelt emotion. The undercurrent of these two pieces
are dramatic and serious, but the presentation will make you laugh, sing
as well as cry.
Running time for performances: 45 minutes Post-show Q&A: 30 minutes
