Dear Maiesha

Dear Maiesha,

Your portrayal of Ethel Waters was excellent as well as your ability to have intellectual conversation about her character and nature. In our discussion about the controversial ending of the play and the problematic issue of the white savior complex, you something that truly resonated with me and my responsibility as a young person. You discussed the importance of forgiveness and deliverance .

On the subject of forgiveness and deliverance, I really enjoyed how you explored Ethel's spiritual awakening. While the ending does not do a good job of displaying this awakening, one important point was that harboring hatred does not produce a fruitful outcome in any revolution. Rather, it is important to be motivated by the need for change itself. To forgive is not to negate the experiences of racism and violence one has experienced nor is it a form of complacency; rather it is an action that places the power from the hand of the oppressor to the hands of the oppressed.


Kyle