The Ongoing Fight for Freedom: Stories of NC Black Veterans

A decorative collage of images of performer Sonny Kelly portraying different Black veterans from history.

“The Ongoing Fight for Freedom: Stories of NC Black Veterans” is a one-man presentation & performance elevating Black freedom fighters and veterans with North Carolina connections – known & unknown, on and off the traditional battlefield – who have engaged in over 400 years of a struggle for freedom, liberty, and equality. Their sacrifices, resistance, and resilience have contributed to American democracy, even as they were denied the full rights of citizens. Through listening to their stories in this production, we can gain a deeper understanding of our nation’s founding ideals, and harness the hope to continue the work, together, of making those ideals a reality for all.

This show was collaboratively written and is performed by Dr. Sonny Kelly, founder of Legacy Heirs Productions. The play’s development was commissioned & funded by the NC Department of Natural & Cultural Resources’ America 250 NC initiative & produced by the Learning Happens Here initiative of the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, in collaboration with Carolina K-12.

 

Tab/Accordion Items

  • The show is approximately 75-80 minutes long.
  • While no violence or graphic images are included in this presentation, it does include archival images and sound ques depicting and referencing scenes of battle, war, and the Jim Crow era. Suicide is briefly mentioned.
  • This performance is intended for general public audiences of adults (16+). However, mature children aged 12 and older, who are accompanied by a guardian and are capable of maintaining a seat and focus through a 75-minute production, may also find the experience enriching. Parental discretion is advised.
  • Private performances for K-12 schools can be tailored to suit middle and high school audiences

The presentation is based on historical research, including actual events and people who have contributed to North Carolina throughout the last four centuries. Artistic liberties have been taken in how figures are presented. While some dialogue is taken directly from oral histories or interview sources, the majority of  the dialogue and characterizations have been interpreted for dramatic intent.

Saturday, January 25, 2025

North Carolina State Capitol 

1 East Edenton Street, Raleigh, NC, 27601
Doors open at 5:00 p.m. | Performance begins at 5:30 p.m. 
FREE, but pre-registration is required.

Free 60-minute performance with introduction by Dr. Darin Waters, Deputy Secretary of the NC Office of Archives & History. Pre-registration required due to limited seating. If you require accommodations or specific accessibility needs, please contact us at educationoutreach@dncr.nc.gov at least 72 hours in advance. Prior to the performance, check out the 24th Annual African American Cultural Celebration occurring on the same day at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences!

Register to Attend January 25th Performance
 

Sunday, February 16, 2025 

North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

1219 Broad St, Durham, NC 27705  

This free performance is from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Pre-registration is required.

Register to Attend February 16th Performance
 

Saturday, March 1, 2025

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

2332 New Garden Rd, Greensboro, NC 27410
Performance begins at 2:00 p.m. 

This free performance includes the full 80-munter performance followed by a Q&A with the artist. Pre-registration not required.

 

Friday, March 7, 2025

Owen High School 

99 Lake Eden Rd, Black Mountain, NC 28711 
Performance begins at Noon | Pre-registration Required

This private educational event is designed for students and includes an abbreviated 50-minute performance. Teachers who would like to attend with students should contact Christie Norris at christie.norris@dncr.nc.gov.  
 

Friday, March 7, 2025

Black Mountain Center for the Arts

225 W State St, Black Mountain, NC 28711
Performance begins at 7:00 p.m. | Pre-registration Required

This free event includes the full 80-minute performance and is open to the public, though seating is limited to 75 people. Registration link coming soon!
 

"African American soldiers have answered the call to fight in every American war and conflict, from the Revolutionary War, in which they served in integrated units, to the war in Iraq and beyond. Yet they often served without the benefits of recognition or even citizenship - and despite unfair treatment, discrimination, and even violence by their own comrades in arms. Some were denied honors they were earned; many were underpaid or not paid at all…We owe it to them to learn from their stories, to remember their names.” (Stories of War)

In order of appearance, Dr. Sonny Kelly will introduce each audience to:

  • Berry C. Kelly “Pop” (1941 – 2021)
Dr. Sonny Kelly stands in front of a screen showing an American Soldier saluting the American Flag.
Dr. Sonny Kelly in “The Ongoing Fight for Freedom: Stories of NC’s Black Veterans” (Photo by Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)
  • W.E.B. DuBois (1868 – 1963)
  • Freeman (c. 1750)
  • Jemmy (unknown – 1739)
  • Thomas Peters (c. 1738-1792)
  • John Chavis (c. 1763– 1838)
  • Isaac Hammond (c. 1755 – 1822)
  • Issac Carter/The Harlowe Patriots (c. 1760 – 1811)
  • Ned Griffen (unknown – 1842)
  • Frederick Douglass (1818 – 1895)
  • William Henry Singleton (1843 – 1938)
  • John W. Pratt (unknown)
  • Lucy Nichols (1838-1915)
  • Abraham Galloway (1837-1870)
  • Sgt. Henry Johnson/Harlem Hellfighters (c. 1892 – 1929)
Dr. Sonny Kelly stands on stage while wearing a uniform and holding a book open.
Dr. Sonny Kelly portraying Mrs. Sarah Keys Evans (Photo by Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)
  • Capt. James H. Porter/ 555th Battalion, “Triple Nickles”  (1925 – 2006)
  • First Lt. Wilson Vash Eagleson/Tuskegee Airmen (1920 – 2006)
  • Elmer Gibson (1903 – 1994)
  • Robert F. Williams (1925-1996)
  • Sarah Keys Evans (1929 – present)
  • Dovey Johnson Roundtree (1914-2018)
  • Golden A. Frinks (1920-2004)
  • Troy Williams (1955 – present)
  • Bennis Blue (1953 – present)
  • Phoebe Jeter (1964 – present)
  • Bembry King “B” (1978 – present)

Dr. Sonny Kelly | Writer & Performer:  Dr. Sony Kelly is a professional performer, storyteller, motivator, scholar, & founder/principal of Legacy Heirs Productions. Currently a full-time instructor of Communication at Fayetteville Tech, he holds a PhD from UNC-Chapel Hill, as well as degrees from Stanford and St. Mary’s. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and also serves as a youth minister.

Christie Norris | Producer & Technical Design; Director of Education for NC Department of Natural & Cultural Resources 

Paul Bonnici | Technical Operations; Special Projects Coordinator for Carolina K-12 & Carolina Public Humanities

Carol Land | Stage Manager

Beth Gardiner | Production Consultant; Event Manager for Carolina Public Humanities

Research assistance & archival imagery was provided by the NC Department of Natural & Cultural Resources, including the State Library of North Carolina, the State Archives, and the NC Musuem of History. While the presentation is based on historical research, including actual events and people who have contributed to North Carolina throughout the last four centuries, artistic liberties have been taken in how figures are presented. While some dialogue is taken directly from oral histories or interview sources, the majority of dialogue is interpreted for dramatic intent.

For inquiries about this performance, bookings, K-12 resources, etc., contact Dr. Sonny Kelly or Christie Norris.

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