We were lucky to catch up with Shemika Renée recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shemika , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I would say my most meaningful project would be my one-woman show “Ms. Story’s Living History”. I’ve always loved historic costumes and learning about people from the past. In elementary school I would dress as whoever I did an oral report on for class. When my children started school, I volunteered to dress as historical figures and tell their story in first person. My friends saw what I was doing from my posts on social media and said they wished they could see my work and I joked that one day I would write a show or perform for them. One friend challenged me to actually do it and in 2019 I wrote the show and “Ms. Story” was born.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

American history is filled with tragedy and triumph. Growing up I never thought we would have an African American President. When my children were younger, President Obama was in office, so that was the norm for them. I wanted them to understand how extraordinary that was. How far our people had come in the country and how much work needed to be continued for equality. I wanted to honor the African American ancestors that made contributions and those who have been forgotten in history. We are taught not to want to talk about slavery and our ancestors who survived that. I wanted to bring honor to them and their lives. What makes me different from some first person performers is that I portray multiple people. Some performers focus on one person or one era in history. I have a list that is growing and currently has over 25 women from American history and five women in World history. My show spans eras from the 1700s through the Civil Rights Era. Some people have called me a chameleon for how I can “turn into” various people and I consider that a high compliment. History is taught mathematically – how many people were affected, how much land was acquired, how much money was involved. The people in history had relationships. History is compartmentalized. I think it’s important to focus on the humanity of history and that is my goal. To show they were real people with hopes and dreams – not just names and words on a page – they were real. I want to give people the chance to “meet” these figures and to instill pride in our community in the strength of our ancestors.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to dispel the shame African Americans have about their enslaved ancestors. Calling them just slaves removes their humanity. It takes away from their skills, their talents, their resilience, intelligence, lives and families. Generational shame and guilt has robbed us of pride for their accomplishments. It has caused trauma in our DNA and country. I want to dismantle that and bring honor to our people. To help educators learns how to discuss history honestly and compassionately.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of my work is when people tell me they never knew something about a historical figure or event. That they view things different now and have a new perspective. When they connect with a story and they say they are touched by the performance. When I’m told I made them want to look up the person or event to learn more I know I have achieved my goal. One of the best compliments I received was when a friend of mine who is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist told me he purchased a figure’s autobiography because he wanted to learn more about this fascinating woman, Elizabeth Keckley, and that because of me he knew who she was now.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: Ms. Story’s Living History

Image Credits

SunArcher Photo – Timagnus Traylor

Nate Jackson