HERE NOW; The Soapbox Testaments

Standing in the shadow of reformist mayor Tom L. Johnson’s statue on the northern portion of Public Square – a place revered throughout the country for its historic commitment to civic discourse - three performers begin a song. People gather. One of the three steps up on a soapbox and begins a testimonial, a personal story told for the audience that ignites a collective journey taken with the audience. Drawing from a soapbox tradition that spans over a century and includes a long line of soapboxers including A. Philip Randolph, George Orwell, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, and Emma Goldman, these three performers combine melody and memory, emotion and image to entertain, enlighten, and unite. It’s brief. Only a few minutes that pass like a flash. But in that short time hearts are opened, imaginations take flight, and each person gathered is transformed.