For immediate use
UNC-Chapel Hill Friday Center honors Black History Month with free performance of ‘One Noble Journey’
(Chapel Hill, N.C. – Feb. 4, 2016) – In celebration of Black History Month, the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill proudly presents Mike Wiley’s one-man play “One Noble Journey,” Feb. 14 at 3 p.m.
The play tells the story of Henry “Box” Brown, an African American born into slavery, who devises an ingenious escape —sealing himself in a wooden box for shipment to friends and freedom in Philadelphia – and overcomes insurmountable odds to gain a life of freedom. “One Noble Journey” offers a powerful lesson of freedom, faith, and the triumph of the human spirit.
Mike Wiley is a North Carolina-based actor and playwright whose compelling works of documentary theatre yield rich and powerful journeys and turning points of the African American experience. Through his dynamic portrayals based on pivotal moments in African American history, Wiley’s goal is to expand cultural awareness and unveil a rich picture of the total American experience for audiences of all ages.
His plays include “The Parchman Hour,” “Downrange: Stories from the Homefront,” “Dar He: The Story of Emmet Till,” the theatrical adaptation of “Blood Done Sign My Name,” and more. The film adaptation of Wiley’s “Dar He,” in which he portrayed over 30 roles, received more than 40 major film festival awards around the globe. “The Parchman Hour” was selected as the closing event of the official 50th anniversary commemoration of the Freedom Riders in Jackson, Mississippi. In addition to his school and community performances, Wiley has also appeared on the Discovery Channel, the Learning Channel and National Geographic Channel; and has been featured in Our State magazine and on PBS’ North Carolina Now and WUNC’s The State of Things.
The event is co-sponsored by the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History, University Relations, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs – Division of Workforce Strategy, Equity and Engagement, the Department of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies, the Center for the Study of the American South, the Program in the Humanities and Human Values, Carolina Dining Services, the Carolina Black Caucus and the Carolina Student Union.
Admission is free, open to the public, and appropriate for all ages, but advance registration is requested. Call 919-962-3000, 866-441-3683, or email fridaycenter@unc.edu to register. For more event information see: http://fridaycenter.unc.edu/noncreditprograms/black-history-month-performance-2016/
For Henry Box Brown’s first-hand account of his story on Documenting the American South (DocSouth) go to: http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/brownbox/menu.html
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About the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the nation’s first public university, is a global higher education leader known for innovative teaching, research and public service. A member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, Carolina regularly ranks as the best value for academic quality in U.S. public higher education. Now in its third century, the University offers 77 bachelor’s, 113 master’s, 68 doctorate and seven professional degree programs through 14 schools and the College of Arts and Sciences. Every day, faculty – including two Nobel laureates – staff and students shape their teaching, research and public service to meet North Carolina’s most pressing needs in every region and all 100 counties. Carolina’s more than 308,000 alumni live in all 50 states and 150 countries. More than 167,000 live in North Carolina.
About the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education
The Friday Center is UNC-Chapel Hill’s center for continuing education, serving the varied needs of adult learners through credit and noncredit course offerings and the operation of UNC-Chapel Hill’s premier conference facility.
UNC Friday Center contact: Meredith Gulley, Marketing Manager, UNC Friday Center: (336)675-6469, mcgulley@email.unc.edu,
Communications and Public Affairs contact: MC VanGraafeiland, (919) 962-7090, mc.vangraafeiland@unc.edu.