Summary
Jeremiah Dew moved his one-man show online to share Black History from the perspectives and voices of those who lived it.
In February 2011, Jeremiah Dew (JDew) gave a solo theater performance that would change the course of his career. He created and performed "One Voice: A Black History Narrative" to share Black History from the perspectives and voices of the people who lived it. He reenacted speeches of both iconic characters and regional people to emphasize how just one voice, any voice, can make a positive impact in our communities.
JDew planned to perform the One Voice Show for just two nights as a special event, but his audience (and perhaps fate) wouldn't allow it to be a one-off performance. Corporations, churches, offices, and schools asked him to bring the show to their communities. Ten years later, JDew has performed the One Voice Show for 50,000+ people.
The show captured even more interest in 2020 as a social movement emerged in response to the death of George Floyd. A US congressman supported JDew’s efforts to film portions of the show on location at the Lincoln Memorial. These recorded performances would become part of JDew's first ever virtual show experience.
Now 2021 looks to be the show's biggest year ever. The virtual experience takes JDew's performance beyond any current in-person limitations, packaging the show within an online group experience that creates more opportunities for dialogue and Q&A. Reflecting on the past year, JDew said, "I hope [my show] helps us be better neighbors to each other."
You can get a preview of the virtual experience at One Voice: A Black History Narrative Performance + Course, or book a live performance at onevoiceshow.com.
This article is part of our series Ed for Good
