It is a new year and in February, the country will be honoring the federally recognized Black history month. To celebrate, DGS drama is continuing the annual tradition of the Black history play.

This year, the cast will be performing Dominique Morrisseau’s play, “Blood at the Root.” The play’s director, English and fine arts teacher Nathaniel Haywood, explained the plot of the play.

“In the play, a Black female student decides that it’s time for a change and so starts to do things that have never been done before in her school that has a lot of underlying racial tension, including running for class president and sitting under a whites-only tree. The result causes an uproar; simultaneously, her brother gets into a fight with a white student and ends up being charged as an adult for a serious crime that is more than what he deserves. The play follows these students as they fight for what is right in their community and their own lives,” Haywood said.

The play takes inspiration from the true story of the Jena 6: six Black teenagers from Jena Louisiana, five of whom were wrongfully charged with attempted second-degree murder following the beating of a white student in 2006

The town had several recent instances of racism at their high school; such as nooses being hung from a tree on campus, and the superintendent’s overruling of the principal’s proposed expulsion of the offenders. The case of the Jena 6 caught the attention of many activists, Black radio hosts and attorneys. The case became part of a larger conversation of racial disparities in the criminal justice system.

Junior Tekavin Russell plays De’Andre in the play. Russell shared the excitement of working with the cast of “Blood at the root.”

“Rehearsing for the play and [making] the script come alive is the best part and I am so in love with the family that is shaping,” Russell said.

Haywood spoke on the value and relevance of DGS’ tradition of performing a Black history play.

“It’s important to allow for all voices to be heard, and DGS has made a space for valuing the Black experience through the Black history play, among other things. It has developed and changed from a multi-genre piece to a full theatrical production, but the intent has been the same throughout—to discuss, share, and honor the current and historical experiences of Black America,” Haywood said.

The play was set to be performed in the studio theater, but due to flooding, will instead be performed on the auditorium’s main stage. The audience will be seated on stage with the actors, surrounding the performance space on three sides in a thrust format. The cast will perform the play on February 3-5 at 7 p.m.