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February 12, 2007
‘Black Man-O-Logues’ gives male view on love

BY carol clark

While a student at Candler School of Theology, Jacquay Waller (C ’04) took a course called “Sexuality and the Black Church.” He was one of only three men in the class, and he said the discussions of hypothetical male-female situations became intense.

“I was outnumbered, but I would try to raise the male perspective, to say, ‘this is what guys are thinking on this same issue, just so you know,’” Waller said. “It was a great class, it really made me think and stretched me.”
Waller went on to become an associate minister at a Baptist church and a software engineer. He also sings in the Atlanta Opera and writes and directs plays. His latest creation, “The Black Man-O-Logues,” will be performed as part of the ongoing African American Heritage Month at Emory.

Waller said that his experiences in the Candler class inspired him to write “The Black Man-O-Logues,” which “looks at the issues of black love from the male view.” The men portrayed in the play are all based on real people and events that Waller researched. They include a rapper who uses vile language about women, an inmate who is raped and infected with HIV, a married preacher who is attracted to other women in his church and a man who is being verbally and physically abused by his wife.

“I’m trying to address socio-political issues that are not necessarily accepted coming from the pulpit,” he said. “Drama gives me another venue to talk about things that are important.”

Some of the characters in the drama are explosive, and even disturbing, Waller said. “It’s a difficult piece. You’re hearing and seeing all of these ugly issues that we try to hide from. My hope is that by placing these issues in people’s laps they will be challenged to try to come up with some solutions,” he said. “You can’t just stand by and say, ‘That’s not me, that’s not my problem.’ At the end of the day, we’re all linked as human beings.”

“The Black Man-O-Logues” is set for Friday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in White Hall. Tickets are $15 or $10 for students. Singer and social activist Harry Belafonte will speak at a banquet in Cox Hall on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. Tickets for that event are $35 or $25 for students. For more information on these and other Heritage Month events, contact the Office of Multicultural Programs and Services at 404-727-6754 or visit www.emory.edu/MULTICULTURAL to see the complete schedule.

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