Dean Poling | The Valdosta Daily TimesAmber Dallas, Erica Thomas, Richell Hart and Barbara Alexander are four of the women scheduled to perform in 'The Untold Story of a Black Diamond.'

VALDOSTA — Erica Thomas said she may become emotional sharing her story before an audience this weekend.

Her story and the story of Mary Turner.

Thomas and several other South Georgia woman will share a mix of original personal monologues during “The Untold Story of a Black Diamond.”

Thomas said her life was deeply affected by the death of her mother, Laverne Howard Thomas, a few years ago. Erica Thomas endured homelessness and time in a battered women’s shelter among other hardships.

“I made wrong choices after my mother was gone,” she said.

But she said she learned from those choices. She wanted to share what she learned with others which led to the development of “The Untold Story of a Black Diamond.”

Thomas will also present an imagined monologue as Mary Turner, the pregnant South Georgia woman who was brutally lynched nearly 100 years ago.

The show is dedicated to Thomas’ mother.

The production breaks the taboo of silence among African-American women, Thomas said.

“In our community, there are things we’re taught not to talk about,” she said. “What you feel, what you think, should be kept a secret.”

“Black Diamond” promises to bring what the participating women feel and think into the open, said Richell Hart, who co-directs the show with Thomas.

Hart is a long-time member of the local spoken-word troupe Poetic Magic.

The idea behind the production is to express individual experiences to reveal shared experiences among women, Hart said.

“Women have so many things in common,” she said. “When they see how much they have in common, it builds trust.”

“There’s a sisterhood that develops,” Thomas said. “Our goal is to continue to bond and to grow.”

“There are all of these wonderful powerhouse women and I didn’t even know they were in our city,” Hart said.

Amber Dallas presents “Queenz of Grace” which focuses on teenage self-esteem and abstinence. Barbara Alexander presented a monologue in rehearsal so powerful, her fellow cast members cried, Thomas said.

It is a heavy show, they said, but there are moments of humor, too.

And there are moments when Black Diamonds shine.

 

THE CAST: Erica Thomas, Richell Hart, Angela Greer, Regina Morrison, Rabyn Ratliff, Barbara Alexander, Veronica Foster, Irene Greponne, Amber Dallas, Melinee Calhoun.

DIRECTION, PRODUCTION: Erica Thomas, producer, director; Richell Hart, director; Nikki L. Bradley, host; Jackie Johnson, guest of honor.

SHOWTIME

“The Untold Story of a Black Diamond.”

When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6.

Where: Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation offices, North Forrest Street.

Tickets: $10, advance, V-Town Music or from individual cast members.