The observation of Black History Month dates back to 1915, when Carter G. Woodson, now known as the “Father of Black History,” created an organization called the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. In 1926, Woodson initiated the first “Negro History Week” on February 7 to celebrate and raise awareness of Black history. In 1976, this turned into a month-long celebration and was renamed Black History Month.

Highlighting the accomplishments and history of people of color in theater is a Walton Arts Center priority all year long. During Black History Month 2022, we are so pleased to be bringing Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom a new musical filled with traditional and original gospel and freedom songs.

Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom is being presented as a virtual performance, and tickets are just $10 per household. Ticketholders will receive a link on Thursday, Feb. 3, to view the performance that will be active through Wednesday, Feb. 16. The virtual performance also includes a question and answer with Lowery and Jessamyn Rongey, a teacher from J.O. Kelly Middle School in Springdale.

The uplifting performance tells the inspiring true story of Lynda Blackmon Lowery, the youngest person to walk all the way from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in the 1965 Voting Rights March. Jailed nine times before her 15th birthday, Lynda and her friends and neighbors fought alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to secure the right to vote for African Americans. Ally Sheedy (The Breakfast Club, High Art, “Psych”), adapted the award-winning memoir by Lynda Blackmon Lowery for the stage. 

The Selma to Montgomery marches that Lynda bravely participated in were held along the 54-mile highway from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery. The non-violent activists aimed to demonstrate the desire of African-American citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote. Peacefully protesting against segregationist repression, Lynda and the Alabama marchers were part of a broader voting rights movement underway in the American south. By highlighting the racial injustice of voting rights, the activists helped to pass the Voting Rights Act – a landmark achievement of the civil rights movement.

While Lynda and her fellow marchers set forth with peaceful intentions, they were not met with the same consideration. The protest went according to plan until the marchers crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where they encountered a wall of state troopers and county posse waiting for them on the other side.

Televised images of brutal attacks on the protesters shocked American and international news audiences. Amelia Boyton, who had helped to organize the march, was beaten unconscious. A photo of her lying on the road to the Edmund Pettus Bridge appeared on the front page of newspapers around the world.

Despite her young age, Lynda was not spared from the brutality on the day that came to be known as Bloody Sunday. She was mercilessly beaten by a police officer during the march. She needed seven stiches above her right eye and 28 stiches to the back of her head.

In all, 17 marchers were hospitalized and 50 treated for lesser injuries. Despite the senselessness of the attacks, the photos roused support for the Selma Voting Rights Campaign. President Johnson issued an immediate statement "deploring the brutality with which a number of Negro citizens of Alabama were treated.”

Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom unflinchingly tells the story of the often-brutal period of Civil Rights history in the United States. The show includes video of actual events and stylized dramatizations. Some of this content might not be appropriate for children under 10.

Tickets are $10, plus applicable fees, and are available for purchase in-person at the Walton Arts Center Box Office weekdays 10 am until 2 pm, by calling 479.443.5600 weekdays 10 am until 5 pm or by clicking here.