Dramatization tells family's Revolutionary War story

Somewhere around 5,000 to 8,000 of the roughly half-million African Americans living in the 13 colonies fought with the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War hoping the effort would gain them their freedom. Thousands more sided with the British for the same reason. Free black men took up arms with whichever side offered them the best opportunity.

Pend Oreille Arts Council is presenting a live dramatization of events centered on the son of a free family who faces the question: “Whose liberty am I fighting for?” This Living Voices performance of Our Revolution will be held at the Heartwood Center (615 Oak Street) on Friday, January 11 at 7 p.m.

Bringing American history to life on the stage is an annual event presented by POAC and sponsored by the Human Rights Task Force, Idaho Humanities Council and Taylor & Sons Chevrolet. This re-enactment gives the audience an interactive look at actual events and to learn about the circumstances, emotions and outcomes of the young man’s life.

The story: Peter Freeman is growing up as a free black in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1770s. When the colonial conflict with the British government reaches his town of Concord, Peter and his family find themselves at the heart of the battle. While Peter’s father joins the patriot militia, his brother goes to sea and is abducted by privateers and sold in the South into slavery. By the time the colonies declare their independence, Peter and his brother find themselves on opposite sides of a war.

This presentation lets you walk in the footprints of a soldier in the Continental Army during the American Revolution as he struggles to find a place for himself during the birth of both a new country and a new people —the first generation of African-Americans in the United States of America.

A portion of ticket sales benefits POAC’s Ovations Program that funds free educational workshops as follows.

Tickets for the evening performance are $15 for Adults and $5 for youth 18 and under. Purchase tickets online at artinsandpoint.org or at Eve’s Leaves, Winter Ridge, POAC office or at the door a half-hour before show time. For more information about this and other POAC presentations call 208-263-6139.