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Inevitable Daughter Act 3-2
An African Blood Siblings Play
Characters: Nigeria, Sister Dallas Ng, Judge Tom, Isiah East in a Mask [as Melville], Mrs. Thompson
Setting: Court (Four Chairs)
(Judge Tom sits across from Melville, Dallas and Nigeria, the last two are seated together)
Judge Tom: Now that we have heard the testimony of 160 witnesses, ranging from the defendant’s and the victim’s family, friends, and community members; the medical and scientific establishment , and we have seen the body parts of the victim, Eddie Puxt, as well as the deceased body of Isiah East, Counsel are there any other witnesses that you would like to call to the stand?
Melville: I would like to call to the stand the Rapist and Murderer herself Nigeria Thompson.
Dallas: As her representation, we decline the invitation.
Melville: I think the people deserve to hear from her.
Dallas: There’s nothing deserving here. She had already confessed. This case is on whether she will get the death penalty or get mercy–a life sentence. To call so many witnesses was unnecessary. The judge alone can decide the punishment and he already understands Nigeria confessed.
Melville: Will she not at least make a personal plea?
Dallas: She has made personal pleas her whole life. You can neither hear nor listen to it. I will put her sentiments to words. I won’t have you further harassing my client. You already showed her, her deceased lover. We invite no further harm.
Melville: Then Judge, I have no further witnesses, let’s see the miracle Dallas outside of her “Community.”
Judge Tom: Dallas, do you have any witnesses?
Dallas: No.
Judge Tom: Then proceed with your closing statements. As stated, I alone will decide whether Nigeria Thompson gets mercy. Why, Dallas, do you propose ‘mercy?’
Dallas: “Self-Determinant People Seek and Develop their own Peace, Possessions and Consciousness.” In the African Blood Siblings, this Truth is accepted by all Members of the Organization. I called it a Truth, as it is not a subjective idea but an objective idea; what’s more though specific to people it is general to nature. For something to be Self-Determinant it must seek and develop its own peace, possessions and consciousness. In the absence of this, that individual is oppressed. Oppression as it were, influences the decision-making of its victim. It is the decisions of an individual which always makes it’s way to trial. Nigeria Thompson, while apparently the decider in the death of both Eddie Puxt and Isiah East, was not making her own decisions when either died. No, Nigeria Thompson is the Inevitable Daughter of Europe’s America, where all of her faculties of decision-making were owned by Europe’s America; therefore if anyone should be on trial for the death of Eddie Puxt or Isiah East, it is the Europeans of America who oppressed Nigeria Thompson so strongly that everything that proceeded in this two-day span came from the actions forced upon her by Europeans. Let us look into her life and see how this is true. Around Puxt Project from where Nigeria Thompson hails, the African Community is not Politically strong enough to receive the subsidies and licenses other groups receive to be Economically potent in its own Neighborhoods. More, the terms of Mrs. Thompson’s welfare demanded that Nigeria Thompson’s employer be of the European establishment, otherwise, the whole family would be homeless. Nigeria Thompson was forced to work for Mr. Puxt; her decision was not self-determined. On the night of the incident, Eddie Puxt, who, by Nigeria’s impression, had as much power over her employment as his Father did, urged Nigeria to escort him back to his office. She was forced insomuch as a refusal had the consequences of unemployment ergo starvation and homelessness. Eddie Puxt proceeded to attempt to rape Nigeria Thompson, which, for the record, if he had, Nigeria would not have any legal recourse in America, Eddie Puxt himself admitted to this. However, escaping this, Nigeria and Eddie hid underneath a table when Eddie’s Father came searching for missing objects in the office. She was forced to cover his mouth as Mr. Puxt admits to having threatened to kill her if he found anything missing and it is within reason to suppose her presence would welcome that threat. Forced to cover Eddie’s mouth, forced to intoxicate herself, forced to hide under a table, forced to be in the office, Eddie died with Nigeria’s hand over his mouth, but not by her own decisions. Later forced to flee, because survival is a necessary part of the human experience, Nigeria shoots a hole into her boyfriend’s head. Again, forced to flee. It is clear then that while my client confessed to killing Eddie Puxt and Isiah East, which is true, the question of liability is not established. If someone forces you to kill someone, should not the enforcer be on trial? And look at who forced her! Self-Determinant people! The Puxt’s are one of the richest families in this city. They are able to seek and develop their own peace, possessions and consciousness, no? This whole trial is an example of their developing their own peace. And yet consider that aspect of this case. A separate people–and Africans and Europeans are separate–are not to be the judges of one another. For when a European kills a European, are Africans made to judge the killers? And what about when a European kills an African, are the Africans made to judge the killer? Now we have an African killing an African, and Europeans are judging our killer. And we also have Africans killing a European and again Europeans are judging our killer. Why is it in every example of this cohabitation, this integration, is the European always the judge? Why are his laws the standard which we must follow? This is an example of our Oppression. This is also an example of how the behavior of Africans are moderated by Europeans. So how is it, if the decisions are European and the moderation is European, that Africans must bare the exclusive consequence? Nigeria Thompson is your Inevitable Daughter; yet as she is an African, this European system has no real authority to judge her! You created her for the dust bin, and now you want to make a ceremony in discarding her. This is an insult. European people should judge European people; African people should judge African people; and there can not be justice when this arrangement is not real. In this situation, I advise the court to recommend mercy. Nigeria Thompson was forced to kill. And whereas two people have died by your forces, no one has died by her own decisions. Mercy, a life-sentence, will allow those lives to mean something, and be the proper response to the oppression of Nigeria Thompson where she would kill her own boyfriend to avoid more of the atrocities Africans had suffered by the hands of Europeans for centuries. She is not self-determining, she is not being judged by her own laws, and the oppression that forced her into this inevitable act remains unchallenged, grant her mercy, life in prison, and good will be done. That is all I have to say.
Judge Tom: Attorney Melville?
Melville: Tom, you are a Black person and some Black person is going to die. It’s not Dallas and if it’s not Nigeria, someone’s still going to die. That’s all I need to say.
Judge Tom: Well those are both compelling closing statements. After much consideration of the two, I, Judge Tom sentence Nigeria Thompson in connection with the rape and murder of Eddie Puxt to be executed in five days. The courtroom must now be cleared.
(Judge Tom and Melville exit)
(Mrs. Thompson enters)
Mrs. Thompson: My BABY!!!!!!!
Dallas: Nigeria, this is only the first battle.
Nigeria: It seems like the whole war.
(Scene end)
(Somal and Leah block the stage with the black sheet to signify the end of scene)
