Marian McElroy says her mother had a “special gift.”
“Her ability to tell stories and to verbalize,” she says.
Over 50 years, Njoki McElroy, who died last year in October, wrote 15 plays, two books and a plethora of short stories. She directed and produced performances throughout the United States, Africa, Canada, and the Caribbean. She is best known for her play Freedman’s Town to Botham Jean: Stories for Racial Healing, a live storytelling show featuring stories about racial tension in Dallas.
Raised in Oak Cliff, Njoki McElroy attended Booker T. Washington High School, which at the time, during the Jim Crow era, was the only black school in Dallas. The school was overcrowded, forcing all students to attend half days. McElroy used her free time to enter speech competitions. Marian shared that Njoki lived in Chicago after getting married and noticed that Black youths were not exposed enough to Black history. This pushed her to start the Cultural Workshop of North Chicago, where she developed a play about the Black journey of life.
Through this workshop she met Richard Willis, a theater professor from Northwestern University.
“He was so impressed with her and the workshop that he invited her to attend his summer workshop and direct,” Marian says.
This led to Njoki teaching at Northwestern for three decades, where she accomplished many firsts, such as being the first African American to receive her doctorate from the Department of Performance studies, the first Black faculty member, and creating the first Performance of African American Literature class in the U.S.
At Northwestern, Njoki paved the way for Black actors, writers and producers. Mara Brock Akil, Lydia Diamond and Heather Headley are all former students of McElroy, leaving her mark in Black Hollywood.
“She was so beloved by her students that they called her Queen Professor,” Marian says. “Not only because of her bearing, which was very dignified and regal, but also because of her great knowledge of her subject matter.”
Njoki McElroy moved her career back to Dallas in 1987 by joining the faculty at Southern Methodist University.
She continued teaching in and outside the classroom through mentoring and performing at local theaters. Donta McGilvery is a former student of McElroy who helped direct the stage reading of McElroy’s last play, The Ninth Day of May.
“She was able to put together a community-based performance that spoke about how Black people deal with faith and experience racism, but also the joy that we turn things into,” McGilvery says.
McElroy witnessed many historical changes in North Texas. McGilvery admires how well she incorporated raising racial awareness about Dallas’ Black history through her plays and volunteer work, despite funding and accessibility.
“Whether that’s in a park, in a church and a recreation center, a community center. It doesn’t matter. Your story is going to be staged because it deserves to be heard. Your voice deserves to be heard,” he says.
Marian McElroy will continue to produce her mother’s archived plays.
“There are too many artists to name that are still with us, that have been influenced by her and hopefully will continue to make a difference in Dallas,” Marian says.
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