Exploring centuries of engagement
A new exhibition at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC titled To Hear Her Speak: Black Women and Shakespeare explores more than 400 years of Black women’s engagement with the works of William Shakespeare. Curated by Dr Patricia Akhimie, director of the Folger Institute, the exhibition brings together nearly 100 items including photographs, playbills, books, diaries, illustrations, and costumes, alongside video displays of notable Black actresses performing Shakespeare.
The exhibition takes its name from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130, which historians and literary scholars have long speculated was written about a Black woman. It highlights how figures such as Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Lorraine Hansberry, and Phillis Wheatley utilized the playwright’s work in their own writing and artistic endeavors.
Uncovering hidden histories
The project, which is the result of more than two years of research, aims to challenge the longstanding myth that the London of Shakespeare’s era was not a diverse place. According to Akhimie, historical records and artifacts regarding Black women’s engagement with Shakespeare largely disappeared during the 18th and 19th centuries, a period coinciding with the height of the transatlantic slave trade.
To address these historical silences, the exhibition features items such as a copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio bought by a slave-owning British family, records of enslaved people forced to work on that family’s sugar plantation, tea caddies and sugar tongs emblazoned with Shakespeare’s bust, and a copybook created by Phillis Wheatley, the formerly enslaved first Black American poet.
Interactive experiences
The exhibition is designed as a multi-sensory and interactive experience. Visitors can sit on a set replica of Lorraine Hansberry’s New York City apartment living room to watch clips of Hansberry and other Black women discussing Shakespeare, browse a mini-archive of related literature, engage in writing activities, listen to an audioguide narrated by actor Adjoa Andoh, and listen to an exhibit-themed playlist featuring tracks by artists such as Aretha Franklin, Lauryn Hill, and SZA.
Akhimie noted that Black female artists across centuries have strategically returned to Shakespeare for inspiration and cultural currency in order to express their humanity and assert their voices. To Hear Her Speak remains on view at the Folger Shakespeare Library until 2 May 2027.
