"I sees lots of separates but not much equals. We know that ain't workin."    Mrs. Beulah -- Scene 9

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Now Let Me Fly was commissioned through a cooperative effort of the Brown Foundation and Washburn University.

"Characters from the time of Brown v. Board came alive on stage before a full house at TPAC...the audience got a glimpse into how Brown v. Board came to be, through the lives of those who made it happen."
WIBW Channel 13 News broadcast

Discussion Questions

After your reading of Now Let Me Fly, your audience will be ready to have a discussion on the issues raised by the play. Here are some questions you can use to start the conversation. Or, come up with your own!

1. Segregation was the law of the land for many years.
   » What did the characters in the play find unacceptable about "separate but equal?"
   » What do you yourself think about the concept?
2. Brown v. Board overturned legal segregation.
   » How would your life be different if the Supreme Court had not made that decision?
   » How has your life been affected by Brown v. Board?
3. The play revolves around individuals willing to take risks.
   » What do you think gives people the courage to step forward for what they believe is right?
4. People in the Brown era went to register their children at schools they were not allowed to attend. Some believed that the law of that time was morally wrong.
   » What is our obligation regarding laws we believe are morally wrong?
5. In the play, Charles Houston tells Thurgood Marshall that he can't overturn the law by himself.
   » What did he mean?
   » Can changing a law in itself change people's lives?
6. Some studies indicate that our schools are returning to a pattern of racial separation.
   » Why do you think that is?
   » How can we change that pattern?
7. What can we do in our own lives to combat racism?
8. Brown v. Board is seen by many as a model for other political struggles.
   » What other struggles for equal rights have there been in America?
   » How are they the same or different?
9. Are there groups today still struggling with issues of separatism and/or inequality?
10. Flight is a frequently used metaphor in African-American literature.
    » Why do you think that is?
    » How is flight used in this play?