In a riveting convergence of history and the arts, Debbie Harwell鈥檚 acclaimed book, 鈥淲ednesdays in Mississippi: Proper Ladies Working for Radical Change, Freedom in 1964,鈥� has been transformed into a compelling play by playwright Nicole Burton. Recently staged at a Washington, D.C. area community theater from Nov. 10 to 19, the play not only captivated audiences but also brought Harwell herself to the spotlight.
鈥淚 went back to graduate school later in life, and the very first book I read for my first history class had a small description of Wednesdays in Mississippi,鈥� Harwell, a UH history professor and Houston History Magazine editor, said. 鈥淚t was an autobiography of Dorothy Height, who was president of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) for many years and the same age as my mother.鈥�
Harwell attended the performance on Nov. 18, participating in a thought-provoking Q&A session alongside Susie Stedman 鈥� one of the 1964 staff members in Mississippi 鈥� and moderator Jean Koppen, the play鈥檚 producer.
As the all-female cast of took center stage, audiences were transported back to a momentous period in history. Through the combined efforts of Harwell and playwright Nicole Burton, the theatrical adaptation illuminated the often-overlooked narratives of women who were the backbone of the Civil Rights Movement and shines a light on intersectionality in the struggle for civil rights. It explored how women from different backgrounds, races and social standings joined to challenge systemic injustice.
鈥淲ednesdays in Mississippi鈥� earned Harwell the prestigious Southern Association for Women Historians Julia Cherry Spruill award for the best book in southern women鈥檚 history. The powerful narrative sheds light on the impact of women who, every Wednesday for five years, crossed racial and cultural lines to foster understanding and advocate for radical change in Mississippi.
Harwell discussed the turbulent summer of 1964 as courageous women from affluent families in the North traveled to Mississippi to quietly communicate and form relationships across racially divided communities. Height and Polly Cowan, an affluent Jewish journalist and philanthropist from New York, organized Wednesdays in Mississippi, the first civil rights program created for women by women as part of a national organization. Discussing events through letters under pseudonyms, Cowan called for Black and white women to meet in public places to 鈥渂reak the sight barrier.鈥�
鈥淭here were actually women in the audience that attended whose mothers had been Wednesdays, one of whom was a volunteer during Freedom Summer that had been told to leave,鈥� Harwell said. 鈥淧eople asked engaging questions, and the performances sold out both weekends.鈥�
Burton鈥檚 play gives glimpses into the historical barriers faced by the WIMS as waitresses refused service, doors were deliberately slammed and politicians cruelly, purposefully intervened.
It was filmed and will be streamed in January 2024. It will also be added to a podcast series later next year.
鈥淭he country was very divided at that time, and it is very divided today,鈥� Harwell said. 鈥淚 like to think that it鈥檚 a model that we could still use to get people to make a difference instead of attacking each other.鈥�