The Black History Live tour is an annual recognition each February of the significant contributions African Americans have made and continue to make to art, culture, economic development, education, human rights, medicine, public services, politics, and sports. The 2026 statewide tour will feature the living-history portrayals of Mary Fields by nationally acclaimed scholar/actor Becky Stone, and York by scholar/actor Marvin Jefferson. This performance brings you Marvin Jefferson’s York.
Born into slavery in Virginia and owned by William Clark, York traveled thousands of miles across uncharted territory on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, contributing as a skilled hunter, caregiver, and diplomat with Native nations.
The portrayals will be performed in a Chautauqua format, which is a first-person dramatization of a historical figure. The speaker’s monologue typically lasts 40 minutes, followed by 20 minutes of Q&A, first in character and then out of character as the scholar/performer.