We're now more than halfway through Black History Month. So, in honor of those of black heritage here in Southwest Florida, WGCU is featuring local African Americans from across the region — from all sorts of professions, genders and backgrounds. Today, you'll hear a conversation WGCU’s Andrea Perdomo had with a Fort Myers woman who is sharing her passion for theater with the Southwest Florida community.
Sonya McCarter is the Community Engagement Coordinator for the nonprofit visual and performing arts center based in Fort Myers called the Alliance for the Arts.
McCarter found her way to the organization after she had a hard time finding a way to fulfill her passion for acting in her home town.
"I was born and raised here, and I went to Fort Myers High School. I grew up in the Dunbar Community in the old projects. One of the things that I remember about growing up in the projects is really that old saying that a village raises a child. Because if I did something that was not right or good, believe you me, my grandmother would find out and I would get it in that has happened as a child. So, it really was a village. It was a place where I felt safe and that I could grow in peace.
You know, there are a lot of people who when you say 'Dunbar Community,' they automatically think of gangs or violence, and that is not Dunbar’s story. It wasn't my story growing up, and it's not the story now. By and large, it is an area of people who go to work, who come home, who pay their bills, who raise their children. It's a community. It's a home.
I went to college in Pensacola. I got my degree in theater because I love acting. It is my passion; it is my heart. And, so when I came back, I had a very difficult time finding roles to play that were meaningful, that were relevant, that were weighty and meaty. Most of the roles that were available were maids and servants, and most of the community theatres were not doing anything that featured African American people or minorities in general.
When I joined the Alliance for the Arts, I’m like, 'Look, there has to be some adults out there that we can train and then provide that opportunity," and so, that's what we've been doing. It's so fulfilling to me to not just be up on the stage myself, but to also facilitate an opportunity for someone else. I was so thankful for The Alliance for the Arts because they decided to be intentional. You know what, it's not about having butts in the seats it's about being able to bring communities together.
I'm trying not to tear up right now because when I was in middle school I fell in love with theater because my teacher-- who she was a white woman-- but she was so phenomenal and she encouraged me to be a part of a play and I got on the stage and I found my passion.
It was sad for me to not see that opportunity outside those four walls. So for me to be a small part of bringing this to the community is a blessing. I want the younger generation to be able to come to a play and say oh my gosh! He looks like me. She looks like me. I wonder if there's something that I may want to do one day or could I do it? Yes, I can because I see them and they look like me.’ We don't have a lot of that around here. So I wanted to be a part of bringing that and I'm glad I have that opportunity.
When I was growing up Black History Month, it didn't mean too much because black history was not taught in the schools. I learned a lot about my heritage and my history when I got older because I began to read for myself, not because I was taught it unfortunately. You know, I think it's important to have this recognition because for so long there was nothing that celebrated the bravery of so many people: what they did and how they changed the world. I mean the people that we talk about during Black History Month they were brave.
I ask myself all the time: Would I have the courage to walk down a street while people threw bottles at me or pulled me from a counter and beat me. Would I have the courage to speak my convictions despite what was going to come and I don't know that I would.
These people, they deserve to be honored because of what they went through has set us up to be able to enjoy all that we have now. If it wasn't for them, my world would be so different, the world of my children would be so different. Again, I think it is extremely important that we honor them. That we keep their legacy alive not only through commemorating them, but also go through what we do, how we move, how we act, how we continue to fight for justice and what is right and all of those things.”
