‘The Double V’ at ICT dramatizes first Black civil rights movement

Activism that altered the color of a nation. International City Theatre presents “The Double V,” a historical drama by Carole Eglash-Kosoff about the first Black civil rights movement in the U.S. Michael A. Shepperd directs the limited, three-week run Aug. 23 through Sept. 8 at ICT’s home in the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, with two low-priced previews on Aug. 21 and Aug. 22.

In 1942, his attempt to enlist in the army rejected because of his color, 26-year-old James G. Thompson of Wichita, Kansas wrote a letter to the editor of The Pittsburgh Courier, at the time the most highly circulated Black newspaper with a readership of over 350,000. “Should I sacrifice my life to live half American?” he asked, leading the Courier to kick off the “Double V” campaign. Building on the popular “V for Victory” slogan that called for triumph in the war, the super-imposed, second “V” called for victory in the fight for racial equality — in the army, the navy, and in all aspects of segregated daily life. Other Black newspapers, including the Chicago Defender and the Amsterdam Star-News, soon took up the call. Under pressure from the campaign, and against the advice of J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI, the U.S. was forced to adopt a policy of “proportional representation” that allowed Black Americans to participate in the military in direct proportion to their percentage of the population.

“The Double V campaign was a hugely significant event in American history that has somehow been forgotten, lost between World War II and the launching of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s,” says Eglash-Kosoff. “It took the activism of that one young man and the bravery of the editor and reporters at The Pittsburgh Courier to change the system. We take that kind of activism for granted today, but then, in 1942, it was totally revolutionary.”

Jennifer Shelton stars as Pittsburgh Courier reporter Madge Evans, determined to bring the letter written by Jimmy Thompson to the attention of editor Ira Lewis and the world. Also in the cast are Nicolette Ellis as Jimmy’s girlfriend, Annie; Idrees Degas as Jimmy’s father, Clem; John E. Phillips as Clem’s white supervisor; and Lee James as an FBI agent under orders from Hoover himself to squash the campaign.

The creative team for “The Double V” includes set designer Tim Mueller, lighting designer Crystal R. Shomph, costume designer Kim DeShazo, sound designer Dave Mickey and prop designer Patty Briles. Casting is by Michael Donovan, CSA and Richie Ferris, CSA. The stage manager is Jamie Tucker.

“The Double V” runs Aug. 23 through Sept. 8 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Two preview performances take place on Wednesday, Aug. 21 and Thursday, Aug. 22 both at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $49 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and $52 at Sunday matinees. Low-priced tickets to previews are $37.

International City Theatre is located in Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center’s Beverly O’Neill Theater at 330 E. Seaside Way, Long Beach, CA 90802. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (562) 436-4610 or go to InternationalCityTheatre.org.