Opera Philadelphia

They Still Want to Kill Us: Student Guide

"What happened to American citizens on May 31, 1921 in Tulsa, Oklahoma was a massacre by white people perpetrated upon Black people. A toxic mix of misinformation, bigotry, ignorance, and white rage ignited a race war that left hundreds dead and a nation still struggling for its identify. My son is biracial and I wonder and worry about his own fight for freedom and justice and self-identity in a country where we cannot agree on a shared morality.

It seems to me some white people still want to kill us (Black people) and the murder of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd and so many others is evidence of this blood lust sewn deep within the depraved, American psyche. Violence against BIPOC people is part of our American history, and the AAPI, the BIPOC, the LGBTQIA+, the disabled, and all those opposed to the privileged, global majority have always faced a choice: be still and silent or lift up your voice and move mountains!

The audacity and hypocrisy to ask God to bless America is not lost on me or many of my friends. God Damn America has its place. We all choose to move mountains and create new spaces for our communities. This is the work of social justice and global change.

What are the words and methods of The New Racism? Everyday we are witness to it. Together, we can fight back and find love among the willing."

~ DBR (Brooklyn, NY | March 21, 2021)

 

To watch The Still Want to Kill Us for FREE, visit theystillwanttokillus.com

If you have any questions, you can always email us at education@operaphila.org

 

Opera 101

RESOURCES
Download the list of educational resources for this performance.

The Creators

DBR
DBRcomposer & pianist
J'Nai Bridges
J'Nai Bridgesmezzo-soprano
Yoram Savion
Yoram Savionfilmmaker

Resources & Activities

The Massacre of Black Wall Street

a graphic novel from Atlantic Re:think

EXPLORE

The Tulsa Race Massacre

from The History Channel

EXPLORE

What to Know About the Tulsa Greenwood Massacre

from the New York Times

EXPLORE

May 31, 1921: Tulsa Massacre

from the Zinn Education Project: Teaching People's History

EXPLORE

Greenwood, 1921

from 60 minutes

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Lesson Plans

from the Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission

EXPLORE

Reading List

Continue your education with this suggested reading list for audiences of all ages.

EXPLORE

Dedicated funding for the Sounds of Learning Dress Rehearsal Program has been provided by The William Penn Foundation, Hamilton Family Charitable Trust, Eugene Garfield Foundation, Wells Fargo, Universal Health Services, Hirsig Family Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation, The McLean Contributionship, and Mr. William A. Loeb

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