If you don’t mind me asking…What are you exactly?

Do I look like a freak to you????

by Melissa Wimbish

For the past few weeks I have stayed awake wondering what to write about for ‘Black History Month.’ What personal insight can I offer on one of the most sensitive and defining subjects of our generation? Will my insight seem lacking because of my skin color?

Sure, I’m black, but nobody believes me half the time. When I was a wee thing, I attended daycare on post because my single father was in the military stationed in Ft. Riley, Kansas. I remember getting confused stares when he picked me up or dropped me off. He is definitely black, and I guess the fact that we both had red hair, freckles, and very similar features just wasn’t enough evidence that he was my “for real” parent. A younger member of the staff asked me one day if I was adopted. Having no idea what the word “adopted” meant at that age, I excitedly shook my head up and down and said, “Yes!”

The fact that people, black and white, constantly questioned the validity of my background made me feel out of place as a child. When peers approached it was, “Who are those people?” rather than, “Is that your family?” Parent teacher conferences were mortifying, “You didn’t tell me you were black!” Often referred to as the little white girl who lived with black people, never multi-racial or mixed, it was hard to feel proud of anything. It was hard to identify with any race. So, that’s part of the reason I decided to join the circus.

Not really. (However, I did become an opera singer, which is arguably the same thing.)

Though there are always instances of ignorance to speak of, I also had amazing examples of color blindness from which to build my values. One of the first places I felt that I was able to identify with equality was with musicians and music educators. For example, in my senior year of high school we performed the musical Crazy for You. At one point in the show, Bobby, one of the male leads, has to disguise himself as Zangler, the other male lead. In our cast, Zangler was black and Bobby was absolutely not black. It would have been just as easy for our teachers to cast someone “more believable” in terms of skin color, but they didn’t and it worked beautifully in the context of the show.

Here I am later in life and in my previous program, CU Opera’s La Traviata featured a white Violetta, Korean Alfredo, and black Germont. (I bet that cast party had an excellent assortment of yummy foods!) The past two productions in my current program have featured black singers in principal roles, Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte and Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus.

Educators are the answer!

Personally, I feel that we are headed in the right direction! I think it is crucial for educators especially to continue this progress. Students of music eventually become directors, conductors, singers, production assistants, and all other elements of opera, including members of the audience. Shouldn’t equality in classical arts be on the list of discussion topics in academia so that we are better suited to make change in the professional world?

Equipping members of the classical community with the tools they need to become successful artists should require that all testaments of historical value be considered. By instilling and openly discussing this value of equality, we hold each other accountable for the future of our medium. I hope that opera continues to symbolize progression, honesty, and imagination.

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Melissa Wimbish is one of the founders and directors of Operagasm.com. You can learn more about Melissa under the ‘About Us’ tab on the top of the page. Her article will be featured on Operagasm.com every Monday. Melissa welcomes you to comment on her article or email her privately at melissa@operagasm.com