The clock ticks…Time moves forward….and so do we. From the end of the Civil War, to the beginnings of Jim Crow, we witnessed the grit and resilience of Colored people who simply had no choice but to make the most of living the fear, pain and joy of being Black in America. They found the tenacity and fortitude to win the small everyday battles that allowed them to simply get through another day. Freemen and Women with hope and faith in each other were able to not just survive but triumph when all odds were against them. The heroes like Marcus Garvey and Joe Louis were cause for celebration; Sistas like unknown Nadine, dying of tuberculosis, unable to find the means to get to the hospital herself for treatment, yet finding the empathy to give room so another man does not find himself destitute and in the streets. Then, there’s Alberta and Belle, one puttin’ down the funk to be able to pay the rent, the other to entertain fighting Black men intent on letting this country know we are ready, willing, and able to fight for this country even though this country is fighting tooth and nail to deny them human rights.

The clock ticks and we witness the everyday experience of Colored people who through it all are compelled to become the unintended heroes that live through Colored People’s Time.

Leslie Lee (1930-2014) was a prolific playwright who also wrote for film and television. His play The First Breeze of Summer was nominated for a Tony® Award. His television film Born to Trouble: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was nominated for a Writers Guild Award.

He wrote for the daytime drama Another World. His other plays include Black Eagles, Between Now and Then, Cops and Robbers, The Ninth Wave, Elegy to a Down Queen, The War Party, and much more.