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A former writer with the Miami Herald, Mona Z. Smith began covering murders and corrupt politicians at the age of 20. She's won the John Golden Award for Playwriting in 1992 and 1994 and Leta Stetter Hollingsworth fellowships in 1992 and 1993. Her play Borderlands, a dark comedy about two women struggling to survive in Bosnia, won the 1996 national Berilla Kerr Prize for Playwriting; a new version was a recent winner of the Playwright's Center of San Francisco national competition. Her newest play, Becoming Something, is based on the life of actor/activist Canada Lee. She is currently writing a social biography of Canada Lee, to be published next year by Faber and Faber.
The idea for Becoming Something was sparked by a passion for bebop jazz. I read about musicians who described bebop as subversive music that rebelled against the racism blacks still faced post-WWII. Seeking a story that explored the intersection of art and politics, I read a single-line footnote about Canada Lee in a book about the McCarthy era. Lee was described as a the most respected black actor of his time; he was also described as a passionate civil rights activist whose death was one of a handful attributed to the blacklist. I was intrigued. As a former newspaper journalist, I responded to the historical, social and political context of Canada's story. As a theatre professional, I was perplexed by my complete lack of knowledge about someone who had done significant work on the stage, screen and radio.
Two years of research (squeezed around day jobs and other obstacles) turned up brief mentions of Canada Lee in a few books and some clippings in the theatre research collection of the Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center. The information I found was tantalizing but far from complete. By chance I learned that the Schomburg Center in Harlem had materials on Canada, but the materials were off limits to researchers -- they hadn't been microfilmed or protected in any way. However, I was able to get the name of an attorney who had overseen the transfer of materials from Canada Lee's widow to the Schomburg. The attorney said Lee's widow was still alive. If I wrote a letter explaining why I needed the materials, the attorney said, he would forward it to her and perhaps something could be arranged.
I wrote a description of the theatre piece I wanted to create about Canada Lee; soon after, Frances called to invite me to meet her in Atlanta, Georgia. I traveled there in November 1998. Frances was then 79 years old and legally blind. She showed me special equipment (rigged for her by family and friends) that she was using to help her computerize hundreds of Canada's documents, including all of his letters, diaries and speeches. Frances opened her home, her files and her memories to me with profound generosity; she continues to be an inspiration.
A note from the playwright