Skip to main content
Massachusetts State Seal
Commonwealth Museum   Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin
Commonwealth Museum Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin

Celebrating Roxbury: August Wilson



Thirteen months before his death, two-time Pulitzer winner August Wilson appeared at Roxbury Community College and reflected on his plays about African-American life in the twentieth century.


August Wilson standing at podium, shares thoughts about his celebrated ten play series, one play was set in each decade of the twentieth century.
August Wilson shares thoughts about his celebrated ten play series, one play was set in each decade of the twentieth century.

- Anthony W. Lanier, Photographer
August Wilson standing at a podium at Roxbury Community College, shares thoughts about his celebrated ten play series, one play was set in each decade of the twentieth century.
August Wilson shares thoughts about his celebrated ten play series, one play was set in each decade of the twentieth century.

- Anthony W. Lanier, Photographer
August Wilson standing at a podium at Roxbury Community College, shares thoughts about his celebrated ten play series, one play was set in each decade of the twentieth century.
Wilson insisted in speaking at Roxbury Community College.

- Anthony W. Lanier, Photographer
❮ ❯


Natural Genius
Born in Pittsburg, August Wilson dropped out of high school in the tenth grade. Working a variety of menial jobs he gained experiences that helped create characters in his later career as a playwright, often writing ideas on paper napkins. He spent hours at the public library eventually surpassing peers who had more formal education. His plays “Fences” and “The Piano Lesson” were awarded Pulitzer Prizes.

Denzell Washington, pictured with co-star Viola Davis
Denzell Washington, pictured with co-star Viola Davis, directed and starred in the film version of “Fences.”

In His Own Words
 “I think my plays offer (white Americans) a different way to look at black Americans,”… in Fences they see …a [poor] person they don’t really look at…By looking at Troy’s life, white people find out that the content of this black [man’s] life is affected by the same things – love, honor, beauty, betrayal, duty. Recognizing that these things are as much part of his life as theirs can affect how they think about and deal with black people in their lives.”

An image of 3 playbills from August Wilson. From left to right; Fences, Joe Turner's Come and Gone and Seven Guitars.
Playbills reflect the work of the prolific August Wilson.