Reckoning With The Shortfalls Of The 19th Amendment Through Spoken Word, Song And Movement

WUNC | By Anita Rao,

Published February 28, 2020 at 12:19 PM EST

Dancers rehearse their part in ''The Debate,'' Tatreau's piece in the ''19th Amendment Project.''

The 19th Amendment was a watershed moment for women’s rights in the United States, but it left many black women behind. The shortcomings of the suffrage movement inspired faculty-artists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the 19th Amendment Project, which is part of the UNC Process Series. The show explores women, power and politics and celebrates pivotal black activists.

Host Anita Rao talks to producer Heather Tatreau and performer LaToya Lain about The 19th Amendment Project, which explores women, power and politics and celebrates black activists.

The individual pieces in the 19th Amendment Project all touch on the evolution of women’s roles in politics and how the black suffragists had to continue fighting long after 1920.

Heather Tatreau is a producer of the show and worked on the selection “The Debate,” a dance-theater piece that explores anti-suffrage propaganda and the physicality of power. She is a choreographer and teaching assistant professor at UNC-Chapel Hill.

LaToya Lain's one-woman show ''Sojourner Truth'' explores the aftermath of the 19th Amendment for black women.

LaToya Lain’s one-woman show “Sojourner Truth” is also featured in the project. Spoken word and song comprise the piece, which focuses on the life and work of Sojourner Truth. Lain is an assistant professor of voice at UNC-Chapel Hill.

The 19th Amendment Project is at CURRENT ArtSpace in Chapel Hill on Friday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m.