Photo Courtesy of Soaring High Productions
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(Left) Sighlent Storm radio host Mandrell Birks gives a sermon on "Women Out of Control" in "A Change is Gonna Come," a play by Vickie Evans.
There is a storm brewing in places beyond coastal lands. The storm floods the homes of many, but the call for help is sometimes in a silent whisper.
The storm is domestic violence, but critics like Mandrell Birks, the host of a domestic violence radio show, “The Sighlent Storm,” on www.WHUR-WORLD.com, and author Vickie Evans are exposing the scars the storm leaves behind.
According to the District of Columbia Court reports, there were 6,743 domestic violence cases reported in D.C. in 2007.
“The only time we highlight domestic violence is when someone dies,” Birks said.
Birks performed in the national debut of Vickie Evans’s play “A Change is Gonna Come” the weekend of June 13, 2008. A well dressed Birks graced the stage of the Lincoln Theatre with charisma and a smile that could convince anyone he was an upstanding citizen. He was, however, Pastor Sills, one who was supposed to lead people to a road of healing and recovery, but “A Change is Gonna Come” revealed his abuse toward his first lady portrayed by Tammy Turner.
To further uncover the face of domestic violence, Evans invited Mildred Mohammad, the ex-wife of John Allen Mohammad, the D.C. area sniper of 2002, to speak to audience members attending “A Change is Gonna Come” about the motive behind her ex-husband’s killing spree.
“He wanted to kill me, but wanted to make it look like a random shooting,” Mildred Mohammad said.
Evans promoted “A Change is Gonna Come” through her company Soaring High Productions. The performance was nearly sold out, however, Evans was not so concerned about numbers as she was about making a difference.
“The Lincoln Theatre was almost filled to capacity - just a few seats shy of 1,200. But it really wasn't about the seats; it was about the message - eliminating domestic violence,” Evans recounted in a testimony she shared with readers on her site http://www.forgiven2.com/.
“A Change is Gonna Come” not only addressed the deadly consequences of a victim’s silence, but also how generations of abuse can be passed down from parents. Moreover, Birks, who also worked with the Family Crisis Center of Prince George’s County, said that children who witness abuse in their homes ultimately come to believe that inflicting pain on someone is the way to show love.
On the converse side of things, “A Change is Gonna Come” depicted what a healthy relationship can look like with characters like Deacon and Sister Kane.
“I played the wife of a deacon who is very happy in her marriage. She and her husband treated each other with respect. We wanted to show solid relationships in the play,” Ebonee Reed, a truancy officer in Northern Virginia said.
Reed’s character, Sister Kane, noticed signs that First Lady Sills was being abused by Pastor Sills, but she did not blatantly say so in the play. Off stage, Reed believes bystanders of domestic violence don’t say anything because they are afraid to get involved.
“People are afraid of the backlash from the abuser on the abused if they get involved,” Reed said. She recalled a time when a man stepped in to defend a woman who was being verbally abused and the woman turned to him and said, “This is none of your business.”
To provide a source of support for victims, Prince Georges County implemented Project Safe Sunday in 2002. This initiative is for ministers to bring awareness to their congregation about domestic violence. Birks believes support has go beyond, “pray about it,” or as a mere discussion in a sermon.
“Church leaders can be trained by qualified counselors, hold meetings in secret locations, and use confidential email blasts to get people signed up,” Birks said.
Evans supports Birks in that she believes ignoring domestic violence, in the church or otherwise, is not an option.
“I often say that if we--the church--don't deal with this problem internally, it will become a public powder keg that will blow up in our faces,” Evans said.
In an effort to encourage sponsors to finance the production of “A Change is Gonna Come,” throughout the country, Soaring High Productions is extending an invitation to any investors, corporate, companies, or non-profit organizations to attend a 3:00 PM performance on Saturday, July 12, 2008 at Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, MD.
“This show is for potential sponsors only and is not open to the public. Our intent is to solicit investments to further our mission to stop domestic violence by taking this production on the road. We are currently looking at venues in Atlanta, Charlotte, and Baltimore, and of course - if Washington, DC would have us - we would love to do it again in Washington, D.C.,” Evans said.
If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, help, as Birks said, “ is only a click away.” Log on to http://www.sighlentstorm.com/ for a list of international resources in different languages. Archived segments of Birks show can also be played on the site. For more information on how your organization can support performances of “A Change is Gonna Come, “ contact Vickie Evans at art_of_forgiving@yahoo.com or visit http://www.forgiven2.com/.
