STOKELY & MARTIN Comes to The Multicultural Arts Center
The production offers an exploration of a defining ideological rupture within the Civil Rights Movement, centered on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Stokely Carmichael.
The Multicultural Arts Center will present Stokely & Martin, an original theatrical work written and directed by Najee A. Brown, Artistic Director of the Multicultural Arts Center, running January 16–18, 2026. The production is part of MAC's 2025–2026 season, We Are the Story, and offers a bold, intimate exploration of a defining ideological rupture within the Civil Rights Movement, centered on two of its most influential figures: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Stokely Carmichael.
Set against the turbulent backdrop of the late 1960s, Stokely & Martin imagines a rare, private conversation between the two leaders at a moment when the movement, and the nation, stood at a crossroads. As King remains committed to nonviolence and integration, Carmichael advances a rising call for Black Power and articulates a more global critique of U.S. militarism during the Vietnam War. The play places these conflicting visions in direct conversation, not as abstract debate, but as a deeply human reckoning between two men bound by shared struggle and diverging paths.
Through poetic, lyrical dialogue, moments of tension and humor, and gospel-infused musical interludes, the work humanizes these towering figures and explores the emotional and political cost of leadership. Rather than presenting history as distant or instructional, Brown's script brings these ideas to life through vulnerability, conviction, and brotherhood, illuminating how movements are shaped as much by internal conflict as by collective purpose.
Set at a time when Dr. King was increasingly unpopular and under intense scrutiny for his opposition to the Vietnam War, Stokely & Martin examines what it means to speak, dissent, and lead when the cost of doing so is painfully high. With additional appearances by movement figures Cleve Sellers and Willie Ricks, the play offers a layered portrait of a movement shaped by both tension and unity.
“This play is really about the struggle over Black Power, what it means, who gets to define it, and what it costs to claim it,” said playwright and director Najee A. Brown. “At this moment in history, King is deeply unpopular for his commitment to nonviolence and under scrutiny for his position on Vietnam, while Carmichael is articulating a more global and militant vision of Black liberation. I wanted to imagine what might happen if these two men were given the space to speak honestly to one another, without performance or protection.”
Created specifically for the Multicultural Arts Center's intimate performance space, the production emphasizes closeness and immediacy, drawing audiences into the room with the characters and their ideas. Stokely & Martin continues MAC's commitment to commissioning original work that centers Black voices, deepens civic dialogue, and connects historical narratives to present-day realitie
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