Unsung Activist
Commissioned by Opera in the Heights
Music and Libretto by Steve Wallace
Houston, Texas, 1959. Eldrewey Stearns, a law student at Texas Southern University, is pulled over by the police. The officer discovers a photo of a white woman in Stearns's wallet and beats him mercilessly. Stearns appears before city council in protest and captures the attention of the press. A group of fellow student activists at TSU including Holly Hogrobrooks, John Bland, and Otis King look to Stearns as the charismatic leader they need to organize their fight for desegregation. Inspired by other protests in the South, Stearns leads a lunch counter sit-in, calling the press and the police to ensure their visibility and protection. Decades later, Stearns passionately tells his story, looking back on his fight for justice as the spark that led to the desegregation of Houston. The pride he takes in his accomplishment is evident, but so too, is the psychological toll of that fight.
Heroes is recommended for viewers age 13 and up.
This episode contains images of police violence, alcohol use, and the use of one strong racial slur.
Cast
Eldrewey Stearns: Steve Wallace
Holly Hogrobrooks: Julie Jackson
John Bland: Calvin Harris
Otis King: Saïd Henry Pressley
Police Man: Scott Clark
Creative Team
Music & Libretto by Steve Wallace
Film Director: Abbas Padilla
ORigin Story
Composer/Librettist/Performer Steve Wallace and Opera in the Heights’ Artistic & General Director Eiki Isomura talk with Matt Boresi about the creation of “Unsung Activist”