Artists, educators and performers Sharon Bridgforth and E. Patrick Johnson read from their own works and engaged each other in an evening of oral history March 26 at the Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark. The event, "Speaking Out Down South," highlighted the deep historical and cultural connections between Chicago and the American South, with an emphasis on how people live their lives as gay, lesbian and queer African-Americans.
"Growing up, I heard stories about struggling from my family. I didn't realize it then but I know now that they were trying to save my life, to show me who I was and where I came from. They were placing their hope in me," said Bridgforth.
Bridgforth ( a poet/storyteller/performer in Austin, Texas ) and Johnson ( Performing Studies Department Chair at Northwestern University ) displayed a sharp humility on stage, with something both sweet and profound in their deliveries. Painful at times and funny at others, their stories revealed a truth that seemed to resonate with the audience.
"In laughter, there is medicine. In remembering, there is hope. In telling, there is the promise of what's coming," said Bridgforth.
Johnson nodded and smiled. "Family stories," he mused, "You learned how to become a gossip real quick. I bring with me from down South that sense of community, which if you know anything about the South, community means everything. I also think that there's an art of an oral tradition that I come from, which helps my writing become lyrical. I learned that from my family. I try to bring that with me. And then, of course, my cooking, I try to stick my baby toe in everything I make. Food was such an important part of building a community because, you know, we shared pots. I bring all of that with me and in all my work I try to tell a story."
"I think that being a Black queer person there's a way that the spirit moves me, and I think that's sacred," said Bridgforth. "And for you, Patrick, there is this crazy brutality and love in your stories."
Johnson's most recent work is an oral history entitled Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South.