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 Becky Stone’s Mary Fields.
Mary Fields was the first African American woman to be a star route carrier in this country. She was born into slavery, but after emancipation, life led her to Cascade, Montana. She was a part of the settling of the frontier, and her story lends a first hand account of African Americans who lived in the Wild West and made significant contributions. Her story brings in the history of Black settlers, male and female, Black cowboys, Black entrepreneurs, and more.
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.