ancestries. In his tribute to “the songs of black men”
and to the “faces of black women,” Silvera reveled
in the idea that what was a “weird strangeness” to
others “sounds not strange to me.” The poem closed
with the assertion that the “Jungle beauty / And
mystery” and “Dark hidden beauty” in African-
American women was not wholly accessible, a
beauty “Which only black men / see.” The poem is
marked for its heightened race pride and self-
assured possessive sensibility.
Silvera received recognition from established
Harlem Renaissance figures for his writing. In 1927
he placed second behind poet MAECOWDERYin
THECRISISliterary competition. His “Song to a
Dark Girl” was one of three prizewinning works se-
lected that year.
Bibliography
Bond, Horace Mann. Education for Freedom: A History of
Lincoln University, Pennsylvania.Lincoln University,
Pa.: Lincoln University, 1976.
Simon the CyrenianRidgely Torrence(1917)
A pioneering verse play by RIDGELY TORRENCE
that was part of his groundbreaking trilogy of plays
created specifically for African-American actors.
The three-play collection published in 1917 also
included GRANNY MAUMEEand THERIDER OF
DREAMS.
The play, which is the only religious drama in
the trilogy, focuses on Simon the Cyrenian, a brave
man and leader of Roman slave revolts who shares
the burden of the cross with Jesus in the moments
leading up to the Crucifixion. Initially determined
to rescue the criminal Barabas from imprisonment,
Simon of Cyrene is transfixed by the gaze of Jesus
when he encounters him briefly. Jesus, betrayed by
Judas, is captured by guards while praying on the
Mount of Olives. It is there that Simon “saw men
come with torches and seize a man. / I hurried
near,” he notes, “and through the olive leaves / His
eyes looked into mine, / His eyes burned into mine.
I have seen them since, / Waking or sleeping.”
Simon later endeavors to help Jesus and does not
hesitate to take up the heavy cross upon which
Jesus is to be crucified. He later bears a crown of
thorns and vows to “wear this / I will bear this till
[Jesus Christ] comes into his own.” The play fea-
tures a hero of Northern Africa who is determined
to honor his faith despite the threat of violent re-
tribution and ostracism.
As Torrence biographer John Clum notes, the
playwright was quite explicit about his claims that
the work honored an African hero. Torrence pro-
vided a detailed explanation of his racial rationale,
stating that “It has been the author’s design that
all the characters in this play should be repre-
sented by persons entirely or partly of Negro
blood.... Simon is a full-blooded Negro... The
Roman characters are played by persons of a
slighter Negroid strain.” Torrence also addressed
the historical and anthropological facts that sup-
ported his claims. He explained that “Although
Cyrene was in Northern Africa, the wall-paintings
in the vast Cyrenian tombs depict black people in-
stead of brown” and that “Jesus’ cross bearer was a
black man, as the early painters represented him.”
Torrence’s recuperation of the biblical and histori-
cal facts endowed the play with a pointed histori-
cal agenda that reinforced his contemporary goal
of crafting serious dramas that featured people of
color in central roles.
Philanthropist and theater enthusiast EMILIE
HAPGOODwas the producer of Simon the Cyrenian.
The play opened first on BROADWAYat the Gar-
den Theatre on April 4, 1917. Nearly two weeks
later, on April 16, 1917, it opened at the Garrick
Theatre and ran for just over one additional week.
The cast on opening night at the Garden Theatre
included Inez Clough, who would later appear in
WALLACE THURMAN and WILLIAM RAPP’s
HARLEM(1929); the multitalented performer, di-
rector, writer, and lyricist Alex Rogers; and Jesse
Shipp, a veteran of early African-American musi-
cals and a founding member with J. Rosamond
Johnson, Bert Williams, George Walker, and others
of the African-American theater professionals
group known as The Frogs.
In 1920 the Harlem YWCA staged an ama-
teur production of Simon the Cyrenian.PAULROBE-
SON, then a law student at COLUMBIAUNIVERSITY,
followed the suggestion of his wife, ESLANDA
GOODEROBESON, who coached sports at the facil-
ity, and auditioned for the play. Robeson was cast
in the play and made his theatrical debut when it
opened in the June 1920. His performance at the
Harlem YWCA, witnessed by members of the480 Simon the Cyrenian