Eta Creative Arts: Culture as a Liberating Force

Eta Creative Arts: Culture as a Liberating Force

About twenty years ago, I wrote an article about the state of Black theatre in Chicago. Then, as now, nearly all of Chicago's African-American theatres were tenants. As usual, eta's Creative Arts Foundation's co-founder, president and producer, the clear-sighted Abena Joan Brown, had the final word. She said, "We won't know what we can do until we build a house." This was exactly what the young organization was about to do, literally and figuratively. They had purchased an old window factory on a commercial strip on the southeast side of Chicago, and were breaking ground to construct a facility in the Grand Crossing/South Shore …