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For general questions about reservations or event details, please contact the DC Public Library location you are planning to visit. For those in need of disability services related to event registration or room reservation, please reach out to the Center for Accessibility at 202-727-2142 or DCPLaccess@dc.gov. |
Join us at MLK Library for A REFUTATION. A powerful theatrical event featuring well known actors exploring the 1793 Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic through dramatic readings by acclaimed actors.
For reasonable accommodations, please contact the Center for Accessibility at 202-727-2142 or DCPLaccess@dc.gov. For ASL or tactile interpretation, please allow at least seven (7) days notice.
A REFUTATION presents dramatic readings by acclaimed actors of excerpts from two conflicting historic accounts of Philadelphia’s 1793 yellow fever epidemic as a catalyst for guided audience discussions about health inequities in America today, grounded in the perspectives of nurses, caregivers, and first responders.
The primary text—a pamphlet by Absalom Jones (the first Black Episcopal priest) and Richard Allen (founder of the AME church) describing the Black community’s experience of the epidemic—was the first federally copyrighted text by African American authors. It was written in response to a highly popular, short history of the epidemic by the Irish American publisher Matthew Carey, which traded in racist tropes and asserted that Black nurses and first responders had swindled and extorted the white population of Philadelphia for which they cared. In their pamphlet, Jones and Allen vigorously refuted Carey’s claims and debunked the medical theory—widely held at the time—that African Americans were immune to yellow fever, by drawing a stark, unsparing picture of their service and suffering during the epidemic.
Featuring pamphlets, letters, and rebuttals by Absalom Jones, Richard Allen, Matthew Carey, and Benjamin Rush, performed by Chad Coleman (The Walking Dead, The Wire), Brían F. O’Byrne (Conclave, Million Dollar Baby), Michael Potts (The Wire, The Piano Lesson), and Peter Marks (former chief theater critic for The Washington Post).
Presented by Theater of War Productions with generous support from The Greenwall Foundation in celebration of its 75th anniversary.
In partnership with the DC Public Library.
Directed, adapted, and facilitated by Bryan Doerries.
AGE GROUP: | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Black History Month |