`I REMEMBER HARLEM II'; THE WORK WILL BE PRESENTED WEDNESDAY BY ST. LOUIS BLACK REPERTORY COMPANY

From 1915 until 1940, large numbers of African Americans left the American South for the big cities of the North, seeking jobs and distance from the legacy of slavery. In New York City, the result was "a wonderful explosion of expression" known as the Harlem Renaissance.

The description belongs to Rita Washington, director of education and community programs for the St. Louis Black Repertory Company.

The company created the theater productions "I Remember Harlem" and "I Remember Harlem II" to promote an understanding of the impact the Harlem Renaissance has had on black and American culture,

Both shows have been performed at the Kennedy Center.

As part of Southeast's recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "I Remember Harlem II" will be presented at noon Wednesday in Academic Hall at Southeast Missouri State University. Admission is free and the performance is open to the public.

The Black Rep, which emphasizes its educational role, created the original "I Remember Harlem" in answer to requests from teachers searching for ways to bring the era to life for their students. The work is a collage of images and sounds, a sampling of work by the African American writers, artists and musicians who propelled the movement through their bold statements of free thinking.

The response was enthusiastic, and the schools and Lincoln Center wanted more. Thus was born "I Remember Harlem II," a work that is more narrative, zeroing in on the migration of Southern blacks pursuing opportunities in the cities of the North while holding on to what they know.

The words of W.E.B. Du Bois, Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes describe these lives, along with those of many lesser-known writers.

The music is derived from "Porgy and Bess," "Emperor Jones" and other sources. The settings are Harlem, Seventh Avenue, the Cotton Club and Tellie's Chicken Shack, among others.

Washington, a theater graduate of Webster College, says both black and white students have responded favorably to "I Remember Harlem II." "It seems to wake them up a little, so to speak.

A recent residency by the company at Harris-Stowe State College in St. Louis involved four different academic departments.

"It changed how the population of the school treated each other," Washington said. "They were more aware of the contributions by whites AND blacks."

Linda Kennedy, an actress and storyteller with the company, compares her role in "I Remember Harlem" to that of the "Watchers" in the TV series "Highlander."

"We reported history.

"In the second one we are `Immortals," she said.

Kennedy has been in more than 40 productions in her 15 years with The Black Rep. Appearing with her in "I Remember Harlem II" will be Marsha Cann, the company's former touring manager, and Percy Wells, a poet, activist and peer mediation consultant.

Wells consults for the Girls Scouts, Better Family Life and the St. Louis Public Schools Role Model Program.

Accompanying them on piano will be Arthur Toney.

In Harlem during the first half of the century, African Americans for the first time encountered black people from many different cultures, including Africa, the Caribbean and West Indies.

"If there had not been a Harlem Renaissance, we would not have discovered there were other people who looked like us," Kennedy said.

The Urban League, the NAACP, black newspapers and the freedom of all kinds of artists to perform their work can be traced to the Harlem Renaissance, Kennedy says.

For many African American performers, Harlem was the first place they didn't have to appear in black face.

The Harlem Renaissance was an explosion occurring on a worldwide scale and led many artists of all kinds eventually to abandon America for Europe, where many were more recognized.

"They were pioneer artists who went where no one went before," Washington says.