Joe turner's Come and Gone - Center Stage

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Glossary Abraham Lincoln: Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809–April 15, 1865) was the 16 th President of the United States, serving from March 4, 1861 until his death on April 15, 1865. As an outspoken opponent of the expansion of slavery, he won the Republican Party nomination in 1860 and was elected president later that year. During his term, he presided over the American Civil War against the secessionist Confederacy. He introduced measures that resulted in the abolition of slavery, issuing the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and promoting the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. Freedom Papers: Also known as Manumission Papers, Freedom Papers were documents that proved the freed status of formerly enslaved African Americans. Blawknox: Blaw-Knox is one of the most prominent manufacturers of road paving equipment in the world. It was formed from two companies (Blaw and Knox) and eventually purchased by White Consolidated Industries. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Bones People: In Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Herald Loomis experiences a terrifying vision of “Bones walking on top of the water”—Wilson’s poetic allusion to the enslaved Africans who died during the Middle Passage. Later in the play, Loomis refers to Bynum as one of those “bones people” and, in doing so, not only references Bynum’s spiritual connection to his African ancestors, but also references the tools used in the conjure man’s spiritual practices. Of note: In Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean (set in 1904), the spiritual leader, Aunt Ester, helps Citizen Barlow journey to the “City of Bones,” where he, too, is privy to a vision of the Middle Passage and the underwater “city” of his fallen ancestors. Brady Street Bridge: Built over the Monongahela River to connect the mouth of Brady Street on the Pittsburgh side with the South Side’s South 22 nd Street. Clodhoppers: Heavy, rustic shoes. Also used as a term to describe individuals deemed to be lacking in sophistication— “country bumpkins.” Curse prayer: A malignant prayer or invocation intended to bring harm, misfortune, injury, or great evil to another person, place, thing, clan, or nation. People are also said to be cursed if harm comes to them regularly or in seeming disproportion to others. Middle Passage: A portion of the “triangular” transatlantic trade route used by English slave traders. Traveling across the Atlantic Ocean, slave ships went from Britain to Africa, after which they would take both enslaved Africans and goods to the West Indies, the Caribbean, and North America before returning to Britain. Culturally, the Middle Passage carries the weight of the torturous hardship and inhumane cruelty inherent in the slave trade and the transportation of its victims. Great Migration: The migration of thousands of African Americans fleeing racism and poverty in the South for (supposedly) better lives in the North. The Great Migration created the first large, urban Black communities in the North—with cities such as Chicago, Detroit, New York, and Cleveland experiencing the largest increases. Railroad companies were so desperate for help that they paid African Americans’ travel expenses, while labor agents traveled to the South to encourage Blacks to leave and go find jobs in the North. Despite the potential of better jobs and better housing in the North, the challenges remained daunting for many of the new arrivals. The stream of migrants continued, however, until the Great Depression and World War II cut into the demand for workers. Joe Turner: The unseen yet looming character in Wilson’s play, inspired by the real-life Joe Turney. Joe Turney was the brother of Tennessee governor Pete Turney, who, at the end of the 19 th Century, captured and imprisoned Black men to work on his plantation. It was not unusual for “convict” and “chain gang” workers to be captured on the mere premise that they had been involved in illegal behaviors, rather than in response to any actual offense. African American men could be, and often were, imprisoned for minor and innocuous offenses, or >>> Next Stage: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone | 14
strategically lured into gambling to justify their incarceration. From this systematized neo-slavery, plantations and other industries benefited from the work of these prisoners. Jonah and the Whale: In the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Jonah is the fifth book in a series of books called the Minor Prophets. The plot centers on a conflict between Jonah and God. God calls Jonah to proclaim judgment to Nineveh, but Jonah resists and attempts to flee. He goes to Joppa and boards a ship bound for Tarshish. God calls up a great storm at sea, and the ship’s crew cast Jonah overboard in an attempt to appease God. A great fish (usually thought of as a whale), sent by God, swallows Jonah. For three days and three nights Jonah languishes inside the creature’s belly. He repents his disobedience and calls upon God for mercy. God speaks to the fish, which vomits out Jonah safely on dry land. After his rescue, Jonah obeys the call to prophesy against the people of Nineveh; they repent, and God forgives them. Juba: A dance of African American slaves, found throughout the Caribbean and the southern United States. It is danced by a circle of men around two men who perform various steps (e.g., the juba, the long dog scratch, the pigeon wing) in response to a rhythmic call and to the clapping (patting juba) of the other dancers. Outhouse: An outhouse (also known as a privy, kybo, jakes, or earth-closet) is a type of toilet, without flush or sewer, in a small structure separate from the main building. Pentecostal: Often associated with working-class Blacks, the African American Pentecostal faith is distinguished from other Christian denominations by the belief that church members must be “sanctified”—that is, they must live a pure and holy life. The emphasis on The Book of Acts and its doctrine regarding the “tongues of fire” is unique to the Pentecostal faith. Pentecostals believe that the presence of the Holy Spirit (and one’s sanctified status) can be verified through the “speaking in tongues.” The African American Pentecostal church has a long history of female leadership. River Jordan: A river in Southwest Asia flowing through the Great Rift Valley into the Dead Sea. Historically and religiously, it is considered one of the world’s most sacred rivers. In the Bible, crossing the River Jordan was the final step of the Israelites’ journey out of slavery in Egypt; accordingly, the Jordan symbolizes freedom from bondage. The river crossing is also a symbol of death and the passage from life’s sorrows to heaven. Rootworkers: Rootworkers hold several tenets in common, among them: 1) There is One God: most rootworkers believe in one divinity that we must ultimately answer to for our actions. Under that Supreme Being, however, there are many forces (Orisha, Angels, Saints, Ancestors, etc.) that can be called up to intercede on the behalf of humans. There was no conflict for Christian rootworkers between the beliefs of the church and their work. 2) Physical death is not final: the soul of a person is eternal and can communicate with the living. Spirits of the dead have extraordinary power to impart wisdom because they have moved on to a plane where the past, the present, and the future are one. 3) The use of divination: rootworkers employ bones, shells, dream interpretation, the ability to recognize omens in nature, and other forms of reading truth—past, present, or future—in signs and symbols. This is connected to a belief in the earth as sacred and connective. Sharecropping: A system of agricultural production in which a landowner allows a tenant farmer to work land in return for a share of the crop produced. In Reconstruction-era America, sharecropping worked in collaboration with convict leasing to keep freed slaves subjugated in roles little different than their former subjugation. To avoid becoming convict laborers, farmers were forced to enter into extremely disadvantageous sharecrop agreements that generally left them permanently in debt to the landowner. Voodoo: Voodoo (or hoodoo) is the American or Caribbean form of Voudon, a religious practice originating in West Africa and found throughout the African diaspora. The core functions of Voodoo are to explain the forces of the universe, influence those forces, and influence human behavior. Voodoo’s oral tradition of faith stories carries genealogy, history, and fables to succeeding generations. Adherents honor deities and venerate ancient and recent ancestors. Next Stage: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone | 15
Page 1 and 2: Next Stage Resource Guide Joe turne
Page 3 and 4: Set ting the STage Joe Turner’s C
Page 5 and 6: Call and Response: Q&A with Product
Page 7 and 8: “[T]hat’s my workshed. I go out
Page 9 and 10: LOOMIS When they sink down they mad
Page 11 and 12: detached transients just up from th
Page 13: The Blues Story of “Joe Turner”

Joe turner's Come and Gone - Center Stage

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