Abba, Enslavement, and Having Hard Conversations
Give me one hour of your time for the hardest conversation you have ever had. I need someone else to find Abba with me.
Bleu
Note from the Playwright
“When a Trumpet Cries” was born from a place of silence – the kind of inherited through
generations, the kind that echoes through unmarked graves and quiet glances in museum halls. In writing this play, I set up to give voice to the voiceless, to allow Abba – and so many like her – the dignity of being heard, remembered, and humanized.
This piece is part history, part imagination, and entirely heart. It wrestles with legacy, race, and the responsibility of telling stories that were never meant to be forgotten. Some of the hardest lines
in this play are drawn from real conversations I’ve had, or the ones I’ve had to have with myself as a Black creative navigating spaces not built for us.
I invite you not just to watch, but to witness. Let the sound of the trumpet – not just the one on
stage, but the one deep within – call you to listen, reflect, and act.
With truth and trembling hands,
Bleu Do’zia
About this lesson
Introduction
This interactive lesson includes a recording of the powerful original play, “When A Trumpet Cries,” written by Bleu Do’zia of the Selah Theatre Project.
It explores enslavement in Colonial Virginia, life in the northern Shenandoah Valley, how historians tackle complex research, and why it’s so important to have hard conversations when learning history.
Grades 9-12
For Virginia Public School students, this interactive lesson covers Virginia and United States History (grade 11).
For at-home learners, this interactive lesson is appropriate for older students (grades 9-12).
Virginia Standards of Learning
STANDARD VUS.1a
The student will demonstrate skills for historical thinking, geographical analysis, economic decision making, and responsible citizenship by synthesizing evidence from artifacts and primary and secondary sources to obtain information about events in Virginia and United States history.
STANDARD VUS.1j
The student will demonstrate skills for historical thinking, geographical analysis, economic decision making, and responsible citizenship by investigating and researching to develop products orally and in writing.
STANDARD VUS.3a
The student will apply history and social science skills to explain the development of African American culture in America and the impact of the institution of slavery by describing the diverse cultures, languages, skills, and perspectives of Africans who were captured there and enslaved in the Americas.
STANDARD VUS.3b
The student will apply social science skills to understand early European colonization by analyzing how social and political factors impacted the culture of the colonies.
Content Warning
While this resource aligns with the Virginia Standards of Learning, the material may be sensitive for some students.
Please preview the lesson and use your discretion to ensure that it is a good fit for your classroom and/or your at-home learner.
This project was supported by The Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts through the Community Impact Grant and VA250 Impact Grant, Crescent Cities Charities, Laurel Ridge Community College, and private donors. Interactive lesson created by Jess Pritchard-Ritter, owner of For the Love of History Consulting, LLC. Video recording by Shaun Galang of Cedarmeade Studios.
