I'm a big fan of plays that tell untold stories from history. After reading this play, I'm ashamed that I never knew about the Atlanta Washerwomen's Strike but I'm so glad I do now. Smith does a great job at dramatizing this story. She gives us a history lesson that is not even close to being dry or didactic. These characters are full of life even if they aren't all historical. This is what students should be experiencing instead of just reading what's in their textbooks. This is what makes history come to life.

It will be a major privilege to follow this Atlanta play - through St. Louis - and then welcome it in Chicago as both theatrically and historically this play stands out: anyone who has ever organized among their own community of working people will recognize the struggle the two leading women negotiate - founding the first laundry-workers union. At every turn, this story strains at the bonds of the time it is in, speaking to team efforts today. History, and leadership dynamics, both still woefully underrepresented.