Mary Magdalene Project Partners at Skylight Theatre's BLACK WOMEN: STATE OF THE UNION Tonight

Black Women State of the Union (BWSOTU) and The Mary Magdalene Project (MMP) will hold a joint fundraiser tonight, Nov. 17th to benefit MMP at The Skylight Theater located at 1816 N. Vermont Ave. in Los Angeles. The event features an 8pm performance of the critically-acclaimed production of Black Women: State of the Union...Taking Flight (produced in association with the Katselas Theater Company), to be followed by a reception and a post-show discussion with Judy Ames, MMP Interim Executive Director and Donna Daniel, MMP Director of Development.

The empowerment of women is an issue at the heart of both organizations. The Mary Magdalene Project, established in 1980, is dedicated to assisting women victimized by prostitution and the domestic slave trade exit the life. BWSOTU is less than a year old but its mission helping women self-identify aligns completely with MMP’s.

Black women have always dealt with misperceptions regarding sexual promiscuity dating back to slavery when every black woman was considered property and thereby available to any man for the taking. Lorraine Hansberry penned the famous line "Baby, you could be Jesus in drag - but if youre brown, they’re sure youre selling."

“It’s a conundrum every woman deals with on a daily basis - what people say you are versus what you believe yourself to be, ”says Kila Kitu, co-founder of BWSOTU, “‘Black Women’ is in our title, but we encourage every woman to discard exterior perceptions and realize the most important perception is her own.”

Part of that encouragement means providing resources that help women exiting the life get back on their feet. MMP provides housing, education - sometimes a bus ticket back home. BWSOTU and The Katselas Theater Company (KTC) are honored to be able to help raise awareness and funds for these endeavors. KTC has added a link for online patrons purchasing tickets to donate to MMP. Alternatively, attendees to the Nov. 18th performance may write checks directly to the Mary Magdalene Project. To find out about direct donations to MMP, visit www.MMP.org.

BLACK WOMEN: STATE OF THE UNION-Taking Flight runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3pm through November 18, 2012 (Mary Magdalene fund raiser on 11/17). The Skylight Theatre is located at 1816 N. Vermont, LA, 90027. Tickets are $17-$25 ($15-$17 Senior/Student discount). Reservations: 702 KTC-TKTS (702-582-8587) or online at www.ktctickets.com.

BLACK WOMEN: STATE OF THE UNION (BWSOTU) is a theatrical and community event that represents and celebrates Black women as complex and resilient people. The 2012 production has received critical acclaim from the LA Weekly, Backstage and EyeSpyLA. BWSOTU artists communicate and express themselves to help Black women embrace the characteristics that make each of them different and unique--today, tomorrow, and for generations to come. BWSOTU is dedicated to ensuring that Black women receive encouragement, and are inspired through this theatrical production and community events. 'Black Women: State of the Union' is sponsored by Creative Visions Foundation, a publicly supported 501(c)(3), which supports Creative Activists who use the power of media and the arts to affect positive change in the world. For more information, visit www.BWSOTU.org.

THE MARY MAGDELENE PROJECT, a nonprofit organization established in 1980, has given women who have been victimized by domestic trafficking and street prostitution the opportunity to turn their lives around and permanently exit the life. Through an intensive and comprehensive program, the women face, cope with and then overcome the many obstacles that life has dealt them. New relationships are formed, skills and strengths are discovered.The Mary Magdalene Project was created by a grant from the Presbyterian Women of America (PWA) in June 1980. While many agencies attempt to provide services to intervene in any or all the co-occurring disorders, only Mary Magdalene Project exists to address healing from the whole experience of prostitution and its corollary challenge. Go to www.MMP.org for more.

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