Photos by Joy Hallare / The Collegian

Uncompromising leaders and most ardent defenders of democracy take the stage as Black History Month comes to an end. The influential stories of six prominent, yet underappreciated, African-American figures were retold through “Portraits of Courage,” the theater production sponsored by University Student Union Productions.

On Feb. 19, Will & Company, a non-profit theater ensemble from Los Angeles, came to Fresno State to share the stories of African-Americans who have made changes in history, but have gone unnoticed.

A montage of pictures as well as a witty and informative monologue introduced each of the six figures, dressed to match the era that they lived in, on the stage of the Satellite Student Union.

However, the theatrical production had only two actors. Tiffany Adams and Yorke G. Fryer each took on the roles of three characters in the play. They portrayed the characters well enough that it was hard to tell there were only two actors.

Through its portrayals of influential African-American men and women, “Portraits of Courage” taught audience members that it is never too late to learn about history, and that it does not always involve dead, rich, white guys.

Bridget “Biddy” Mason

The first person the audience met was Bridget “Biddy” Mason, who grew up in slavery. As a slave, Mason’s job was to deliver babies. After developing the proper skills, she was sold to Robert Smith, a convert of the Mormon religion.

Smith moved his family to California to chase the Gold Rush, but quickly realized that California was not a slave state. Smith then decided to move his clan from California to Texas, which was a slave state.

Mason however did not want to go. After a long court battle in Los Angeles, a judge ordered Smith to set Mason and her two girls free. This was the first time Mason was free, so she got a job as a nurse delivering babies for $2.50 a day.

“This was enough money to feed my girls,” Mason said. “I saved all that I could.” Mason purchased a chunk of land with the money that she saved, making her one of the first African-Americans to own property in Los Angeles.

Col. Charles Young

The next figure to be portrayed was Col. Charles Young, the third African-American to graduate from West Point, who went on to be the highest-ranking African-American in the United States Army, leading the Buffalo Soldiers. When talking about experiencing adversity, Young said, “Take a black man and send him to West Point.”

Photos by Joy Hallare / The Collegian

Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves

The next person in the play was Bass Reeves, the first African-American Deputy U.S. Marshal West of the Mississippi. “I got $2 for bringing in the bounty alive; you got nothing if that fellow was dead,” Reeves said in the play. “The reason that the judge hired me was because I was black. He wanted me to deal with the Indians because they did not trust the white folks.”

Reeves could speak six Native American languages, but he could not read English. He had to have someone read him warrants, and then he “always got the right man,” Reeves said. He made more than 3,000 arrests (one being his own son) and 14 kills as a Marshal.

Photos by Joy Hallare / The Collegian

Madam C.J. Walker

Madam C.J. Walker, the next character in the play, was one of the first African-American self-made millionaires. She constructed her business around a vegetable shampoo that she created. “Do not sit and wait for opportunity to come to you, you have to get up and seize opportunity,” Walker advised. Many Americans purchased her product, making her rich. She bought a mansion on the Hudson River, which bothered her neighbor.