A Quiet Roar: The Unparalleled Lives of Bayard Rustin & Sarah Mapps Douglass
An event every week that begins at 12:30 pm on Saturday, repeating until September 6, 2026
It’s the summer of 1948, and dynamic civil rights activist Bayard Rustin has a very important speech to prepare for at Arch Street Meeting House. But outspoken 18th-century educator, activist, and artist Sarah Mapps Douglass doesn’t know who this young interloper is.
A Quiet Roar is a theater performance that bridges the lives of Rustin and Mapps Douglass, two phenomenal Black Philadelphian Quakers who walked the halls of Arch Street Meeting House a century apart. Their writings and experiences come to life by highlighting the complex, often overlooked intersections of race, faith, and freedom in the United States. Written & Directed by Yvie Jones.
Run Time: 30 minutes
The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) at ASMH practices unprogrammed, silent worship. Following the performance, the audience will be invited to engage in a 30-second moment of silent reflection and a Q&A.
Cast: Leslie Hartshell (Sarah Mapps Douglass) & Najee Duwon (Bayard Rustin)
The program will run on Saturday mornings from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM and afternoons from 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM, on Memorial Day, May 25, 2026, through Labor Day, September 7, 2026.
