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Glover, Justice portray Hughes, King for Black History Month

By Rose Hooper
Film and stage actors Danny Glover, left, and Felix Justice Herald photo by Lisa Majors-Duff

Film and stage actors Danny Glover, left, and Felix Justice presented dramatic portrayals of Langston Hughes and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in a program titled "An Evening with Langston and Martin" at Western Carolina University Feb. 9. As part of the Chancellor's Speaker Series, the program highlighted WCU's celebration of Black History Month.

Friends for a quarter of a century, Felix Justice and Danny Glover have discovered a unique way of "expressing what's inside of us."

Acclaimed stage and screen actors, the two have perfected a unique medium for that personal expression. While television will bring them into your living room, it's not quite as personal as having a one-on-one chat with them.

"Our goal is to create living history. When people leave here tonight, we want them to take away the feeling that they've actually spent an evening with Hughes and King," Justice said during an informal press conference before their performance.

A packed house crowded into Western Carolina University's Ramsey Center Feb. 9 to be a part of Glover and Justice's dramatic program, "An Evening with Langston and Martin." The highlight for many came during the question-and-answer session at the end.
The program, now in its ninth touring season, is their way of educating the public on race relations. The audience could tell just how strongly Justice and Glover feel on the issue from the selections they performed and the questions they answered.

"We have no Civil Rights Movement anymore," Justice told reporters. "Movement implies a mass of people going forward." The "color line" is still a crucial issue for these times, he said.

"But people are ameliorizing... to make up for the 350 years of subjugation... and the more people we get involved, the more we can get done," said Justice.

Students, both elementary and college, sat enthralled as Justice brought King's words to life, "I will stand up for truth; I will stand up and be a drum major for justice... and I will help somebody as I move along."

Justice, a stage veteran with more than three decades of theatrical experience, is best known for his acclaimed portrayal of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Glover, co-star of the popular Lethal Weapons film series, is an Emmy-nominated actor for his work in the TV mini-series "Lonesome Dove." Glover also starred in "The Color Purple," "Predator 2," "Rage in Harlem" and "Angels in the Outfield. " He played opposite Oprah Winfrey in "Beloved" and Harrison Ford in "Witness." One of the roles he enjoyed playing the most, he told reporters at the press conference, was the cotton farmer Moze in the Academy-Award winning film "Places in the Heart." A producer for the past 10 years, Glover's "Freedom Song," also starring Justice, will appear Sunday, Feb. 27, on TNT.

But for all his awards and acclaims, Justice said Glover wanted to be known for how he led his personal life ­ a life Justice described as "filled with passion for justice and passion for his family."

Glover won his second NAACP Image Award for his performance in the title role of HBO's "Mandela" and has been inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. The audience witnessed Glover's acting ability as he became the fictional "Johnny B. Simple" in Langston Hughes' "Chicago Defender" columns.

As part of the Chancellor's Speaker Series, "An Evening With Langston and Martin" highlighted WCU's celebration of Black History Month.

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