Students pay tribute to MLK

By ANNDREA BURSON

In honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Igwebuike and the Center of Performing Arts hosted a celebration in Mayer Theatre on Monday. The annual event, this year entitled "MLK Night 2000," incorporated a series of performances and largely focused on the play The Color of Faith, written by senior Travis Walker.

For the past 15 years Igwebuike, Santa Clara's Black Student Union, has celebrated King's birthday. Last year, Walker and senior Anthony Barnes revolutionized MLK night by writing a play that used student actors.

"We wanted to make a play, something people more our age could relate to by using modern language, modern clothes and modern interactions between people," Walker said.

Junior Rashanda Isaacs-Jones directed the show.

"The play was a good way for Igwebuike to continue Dr. King's messages," Isaacs-Jones said. "We wouldn't be here going to college without Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other great black figures."

The Color of Faith centers on a group of university students who have recently protested against their school's policy regarding multicultural representation.

In the opening scene, the main character Byron, played by junior Manfred Hayes, gathers with his buddies to talk about the events of the protest.

All of the characters wear yellow armbands with the words "Unity 3" written on them. Hayes said these elements were influenced by the events that occurred last spring on campus.

The play quickly turns to the developing relationship between Byron and Christy (sophomore Nathalie Medina). Christy's charm wins Byron's heart but soon trouble emerges: the fact that Christy is Filipino and Byron is African-American presents a problem.

Christy's friend Cheryl (freshman Christyann Salazar) warns her that her friends won't approve. After hearing this, Christy thinks about how most parents want their children to date within their own race. Supporting actors senior Miguel Guzm‡n, who plays Jerome, and junior Christina Morales, who plays Jocelyn, both tell Byron and Christy how hard it is to have an interracial relationship.

The plot thickens with Byron and Christy's struggle to have a relationship, as they get angry with their friends for not understanding their color-blind love.

Morales felt that it was good to include the aspect of interracial dating in the play."Interracial dating is happening and people aren't talking about it," Morales said. "I think a lot of times it is one of those issues that is kept in the dark."

Guzm‡n added that he would like the Santa Clara community to know the play brings up a lot of racial issues that we deal with in our society.

"It's a forum for the actors to express what people are already thinking," he said.In addition to the issue of interracial dating, the play explores the aspect of faith. Byron often questions whether God really exists, and is reminded by his parents to pray. Faith was strongly addressed between Byron and his adoptive father, Coach Bob, (senior Fabio Stefani) when Byron's mother (junior Sang Tran) dies suddenly from a gunshot wound at the end of the play.

Although The Color of Faith addressed some heavy issues, comic relief was provided by Guzm‡n's Jerome, as well as the characters of "the pimp" Stacey (senior Sylvano Alvarez) and Cindy (sophomore Jennifer Wang). Throughout the production the audience laughed at the one-liners from each of these characters.

The Color of Faith included a unique introduction and conclusion, which added dimension to the performance. Before the play began, the audience was invited to sing the Black National Anthem and listen to the poem "The Kingdom," written and recited by junior Tammara Mercer. Professor Aldo Billingslea of the Theatre Department closed the play with a prayer and a strong emotional rendition of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Throughout Billingslea's performance the audience cheered as if they were watching Dr. King himself. This provided the most powerful display of Dr. King's spirit.

Although Dr. King's messages could have been explored further in The Color of Faith and the plot development could have been stronger, it was apparent that the cast and crew worked hard to prepare a tribute in honor of Dr. King. Mayer Theatre contained a full audience of a variety of ethnicities who all came to honor a hero.