Black History Month | Culture & Community | Dixwell | NXTHVN | Storytelling | Arts & Culture | Arts & Anti-racism
From left: Jeremiah Craggett as Jeremiah Black, Jonah Craggett as Johan Black, Brandon Hutchinson as Alfira, and Gail Staggers as the narrator performing the first episode of the audiodrama “Haus of Black” at NXTHVN. Aster Rhys Photos.
“Until there is justice, until the man who killed Dylan Thomas is accountable for his murder, we will continue to gather in the spirit of our ancestors,” called out Jonah Craggett. In the throes of a protest scene, cloaked in a diffuse, purple light with his voice rising, he continued: “It is in our ancestors’ name that we call for justice. They weep with us, longing for a day where a little Black boy can live with joy. With dignity. Without care.”
A chorus of amens rose to meet him, followed by cheers.
On Saturday, NXTHVN hosted its fourth annual Black History Month spoken word event, “Black History NXT Future: Spoken Word Magic,” and featured the live reading debut of the audiodrama “Haus of Black.” Created, produced, and written by Craggett, the podcast series follows the magical members of a community conjure shop—the Haus of Black—set in the fictional Rainwood, Connecticut. Rainwood is loosely based on New Haven.
When Dylan Thomas, a 15 year-old Black boy from the less affluent West End of Rainwood, is shot and killed by a White police officer, the Haus of Black organizes a protest to demand justice. There, they are confronted by the wife of the police officer who not only wields power and privilege, but also magic as the head of a secret witch's coven. The conflict escalates into a magical war.
“‘Haus of Black’ alchemizes our history and our trauma,” said Craggett. “It’s not just a story about magic.”
For Craggett, magic is a metaphor for power and becomes a tool for liberation for the members of the conjure shop, as well as the broader Black community. The magic system used in the show is Hoodoo, or African American folk magic, which draws its roots from traditional African religions, Indigenous herbal practices, and Christianity. In writing and producing this show, Craggett immersed himself in Hoodoo practices and heritage.
Top: Members of the Haus of Black creative team. Bottom: Audience members hug beside a Hoodoo altar adorned with fruits, furs, and other symbols of ancestral connection.
And magic is what Craggett and his fellow cast members brought to NXTHVN that night. They situated the space in the magical world of Rainwood by setting up ancestral Hoodoo altars that held fruits, furs, shells, and dice. Audience members entered among shimmering string lights and flickering candles, and encountered illustrated portraits of “Haus of Black’s” main characters created by resident artist Iman Brown.
“I’ve always been a really strong researcher, so a lot of the inspirations from my art come from the research I do and what I truly love,” said Brown. “So when I did ‘Haus of Black,’ I was reading it, going through every single character, seeing how they carried themselves, and really getting immersed in the story to connect with these characters on a personal level.”
Character illustrations by Resident Arist Iman Brown, picturing Johan Black (Speaker of the Haus) and Meredith Harding (Head of The Children of Salem witch coven).
In the show itself, masterfully engineered soundscapes and narration created both a transportive and spiritual experience. Amidst the sounds of cars honking, people calling out on the streets, and magical flourishes, Gail Staggers as narrator introduced each character and gave the audience insight into their inner worlds, like the fiery and defiant Jeremiah Black, played by Jeremiah Craggett.
“He thinks of placing the seeds meticulously, perfectly spaced in the dirt,” said Staggers, “but smiles to himself before sprinkling them on to the soil in perfect chaos.”
Brandon as Alfira, card reader at the Haus of Black, advised women from the community seeking answers about their love life with real talk, her voice lyrical and expressive.
And Craggett as Johan Black, Speaker of the Haus, commanded the stage as his voice rang out for justice for Dylan Thomas, the Black community, and the neighborhood of the West End.
“We will weep for tonight, but only for tonight,” cried Cragget. “And in the morning, justice will be ours. Dylan is with the ancestors now. He himself is an ancestor now.”
Ancestral threads also connected the “Haus of Black” to the Open Mic that preceded the performance, with poets like Yexandra “Yex” Diaz and Jasir Auljanaih speaking to the esoteric inheritances of being a poet.
“I am a griotte, an African storyteller,” said Díaz. “I am a reincarnate that draws from ancestral nuances where narration is the first form of expression.”
Díaz, who has written and published poetry throughout her life, has been performing since 2017 and is now a mentor with the Arts Council of Greater New Haven. At the open mic, she delivered a rhythmic spoken word piece that drew its inspiration from a question posed to a woman: who would you rather be alone with, a man or a bear?
She went on to draw parallels between the natures of men and bears and the threats they pose to women, how women are taught to protect themselves from the man-as-wild-animal, and how any woman who survives the streets has survived the wilderness.
For Auljanaih, poetry taps into a place within himself that he doesn’t usually voice aloud. This was his first open mic ever. “Poetry for me comes from a deep place in my soul, it comes from a place in the back of my brain I don’t normally let out or anything like that,” said Auljaniah.
In his writing process, Auljanaih usually chooses (or asks someone) for a word and starts from there. Saturday night’s word was ‘freedom,’ in honor of Black History Month, and he wrote it in just ten minutes before getting on stage at the encouragement of NXTHVN hosts.
For generations, Black poets have used the written and spoken word to assert the beauty and complexity of Black culture, as well as make way for new voices and new realities. And on Saturday, “spoken word magic” reigned.
“Magic is in the act of remembrance,” said Craggett. “The way that I connect with magic is daring to remember Black history, to remember my familial history, because that is connecting with the dead.”
Learn more about the “Haus of Black” on Instagram at @haus.ofblack.