Jinho ‘Piper’ shines in solo play ‘Black Men Everywhere!’

by Dr. Tiffany Caesar

“Black Men Everywhere!” a solo play by Jinho “Piper” Ferreira, was performed at the end of February at the BAM House located at 1540 Oakland, CA 94612. It was presented by the Lower Bottom Playaz. For more information about Jinho “Piper” Ferreira’s work, visit his website,  www.jinhoferreira.com. The solo play displays Jinho moving between 21 characters as he discusses the terroristic acts on Black men in America. There are references to Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and Oscar Grant, to name a few of our Black male martyrs. 

The solo play provides a plot twist by displaying community members avenging the deaths of Black men.  It was inspired by Jinhno’s Black history family trips. He shares, “We saw the courthouse where Emmett Till’s murderers were acquitted and the huge Confederate statue that guards it. We visited Tulsa, where our beautiful Black businesses and homes were burned to the ground.” Jinho continues, “We had the kids keep journals along the way, but when we got back home, I knew I had to write something as well. This play gives voice to the emotions we experienced on that trip. It shows my children that creativity can be therapy.” In the essence that the play was created, the audience members included families with their children watching a performance that was funny and critically engaging, striking the perfect balance.

Though the solo play by Jinho “Piper” Ferreira primarily centers the lives of Black men, the acknowledgement of Black women presented through the mentioning and at times characterization of mothers, grandmothers and wives was critical in emphasizing the need for Black love and family in healing the community. One of the few female characters he embodies shared, “The most revolutionary thing a man can do is plant a seed and start a family.” The play even opens with a Black woman, artist and healer Nedra T. Williams, who blessed the room with an ancestral libation before Jinho “Piper” Ferreira’s performance.

There is also an illustration of Black maternal necropolitics. Black maternal necropolitics is the attack on Black mothers’ ability to raise a child due to government sanctioned activities like police brutality as described in the article. The mother of Trayvon Martin, Sybrin Fulton, who created Circle of Mothers, and Melissa Mckinnies, mother of Danye Jones, continue to advocate against the senseless killing of Black children. During a play that embodies pain due to the content surrounding the Black man’s struggle to survive in America, you are cushioned with moments of laughter, joy, love and hope. Even if going to Africa may seem far-fetched to some, the idea that one can get away from America and start anew is revolutionary in itself. In a country that has a long history of oppressing and killing Black men, this play shows the strength and perseverance of a group that is constantly ostracized. 

The solo play was well crafted, showing Jinho “Piper” Ferreira’s acting skills that reminded me of Anna Devere Smith’s one-woman show “Fires In The Mirror,” describing the 1991 summer tension that erupted into a series of violent acts between Black and Jewish residents in Crown Heights, according to a description on center stage. Jihno Ferreira embodies many different Black men’s experiences and how they are able to navigate a society where there is an overt and covert mission to annihilate them. There is the working professional, the Hotep militant, the DJ, the revolutionary, the sellout and more. 

There was even commentary on the divide between Black communities in the United States. In one part of the play Jihno embodies a Nigerian who shouts, “I am not Black!” as police search him. His Nigerian ancestry does not prevent the police officers from assaulting him. This moment in the play is a call for unity of all Black people in America as it concerns these horrid conditions. Your nationality does not shield you from police brutality if your skin is black as in the case of Amadou Diallo who was shot 41 times. 

Healing salve for the Black man in America

After the show, there was a question and answer session with Jihno “Piper” Ferreira. One audience member, Ross Nyanga, mental health professional and organizer in Oakland, asked how does one decompress after embodying so many Black men and the re-creation of trauma. The question opened up a robust dialogue about Black men and self care. Ross shared Barbershop Yoga as a healing space for Black men in the area. Barbershop Yoga occurs every Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon at Third Eye Oakland, 3043 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, in Oakland. It is donation based and the first class is free. For more information on Barbershop Yoga, you can go to rondyoga.com. It is also a part of Create The Space, described as a “wellness concierge who centers Black male health” on their website and @create_the_space on Instagram.

There is also the Men’s Wellness Fellowship that was shared to me by participant Jabari Garvey, president of the Oakland chapter of the Universal Negro Improvement Association. The Men’s Wellness Fellowship on Instagram, @menwellnessfellowship, is described as a “A Special Community Fellowship Experience Specifically for ‘Men of Color.” The Bay Area is providing opportunities for Black men to heal, and “Black Men Everywhere” promotes this dialogue. 

Jihno “Piper” Ferreira is also a proud alumnus of the Africana Studies Department at San Francisco State University. His work embodies Black history and art, Black men’s experiences and the Black family. As far as the next rendition of the play, Jihno shares, “I’m taking the play to Harlem in April. My plan is definitely to tour schools and universities all over the country.” Demarcus Caesar, audience member, expressed, “The solo-play was inspiring and mirrored today’s ongoing struggle of a Black man.”

If you are interested in viewing the one-man show, “Black Men Everywhere!” you can email  [email protected] or [email protected] for more information.  The play should definitely be toured everywhere and will be a beacon of joy and critical dialogue for university and high school students, so book Jihno “Piper” Ferreira now! 

Lastly he shares his family sentiment, “They’re proud of me, they’re proud of themselves, and they’re proud of their people.”

Dr. Tiffany Caesar is an Oakland-based scholar and activist. Her work emphasizes Black cultural heritage institutions, Africana women, pan-African political movements, reparations and self-care. She is currently an assistant professor of Africana Studies at San Francisco State University, where she teaches African American History and Black Lives Matter: Race and Social Justice Movements. She calls herself a “Black Woman’s Archivist” due to her research and writing about the lives of Queen Mother Moore, Margaret Walker and Phyllis Ntantala. Dr. Caesar is also the current chair of the Black Student Union/Third World Liberation Front commemoration efforts at San Francisco State University. Dr. Caesar can be reached at [email protected]. 

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