The primary inspiration for my work is my family legacy. I am the daughter of a child refugee from war and the granddaughter of immigrants. My siblings pursued careers in social service; my playwriting has been focused on exposing bigotry and recovering the history of people and events that have been distorted or omitted in popular culture. My first plays were contemporary comedies until I said to my sister, a human rights activist, “I wish I could do what you do. You hear about injustice and get three more political prisoners released. I just get upset.” She replied, “Do what you do best.” Since then, I have written more than twenty-five historical plays with the goal of holding a mirror to the present. In particular, I write about the history of prejudice in the United States and abroad, about racism, antisemitism, misogyny and anti-immigration. Putting a personal face to injustice has a power that reading history books cannot duplicate. As a reviewer wrote, “Barbara Kahn is something rare in theater: an historian and playwright… Aiming for our heads and our hearts she tweaks our intellect and kindles our emotions.” Paulanne Simmons, NYTheatre-Wire.com, Feb. 17, 2012,