I DON’T HAVE A GUN, STOP SHOOTING! An American Tragedy (the title is drawn from the final words of 18-year-old Michael Brown who was fatally shot by a Ferguson Police Officer on August 9, 2014. The play draws inspiration from two political speeches from President Barack Obama that addressed the murders of Trayvon Martin on February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida, and the mass shooting of nine parishioners at the Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17, 2015.

I DON’T HAVE A GUN, STOP SHOOTING! An American Tragedy is rooted in community healing but is also part of the larger movement towards valuing and respecting Black lives. It is part testimonial theatre and part rally call. Three ancestors, Breonna, George, and Ahmaud take us on a journey through the power of the African traditions of Libation and Sankofa.