Can I Speak For You Brother?

February 11, 2000 ~ Grand Forks, ND
by Howie Padilla
“It’s tough,” Evan said simply of his capability to learn of his black heritage in Grand Forks and at school. “We learn it for about a month and that’s it”...
Following [the] performance, Evan approached Walker and the two spoke for a brief moment.
“That is the reason to keep going,” he said of Evan. “There are still ‘Evans’ out there and if I don’t bring the history to them somehow, they’ll never know...”
- BREAKING HISTORY’S SILENCE

Febuary 28, 2002 ~ Walla Walla, WA
by Erica DeWitt
...Walker spent a day at Whitman interacting with students and faculty. The crescendo...his emotionally impacting representation of African Americans brought some audience members to tears...
Whitman freshman Brynn Foster West stated that she was amazed at how many different characters Walker incorporated in the play. She also mentioned that Walker had “a real connection with the people”...
Fellow first-year [student] Cathryn Posey said, “On the whole, he just did a beautiful job of showing how many voices there are in the African community. There are no words. I can’t sum it up.”
Jake McKinstry, an inner city middle school teacher from Boston who was visiting campus this weekend, said, “It’s phenomenal. It just worked on so many different levels.” He added that he was particularly compelled by how Walker took African-American leaders and potrayed them as “leaders for all of us.” - ONE MAN PERFORMANCE

February 8, 1996 ~ Reading, PA
by Francine M. Scoboria
...From the moment his wiry, muscular body and his beautifully expressive face appeared on the stage at Pennsylvinia State-Berks Campus, Walker had the complete attention of his audience...
Even after his one-man show ended, many members of the crowd waited to talk to him, and shake his hand, and tell him that they appreciated what he was doing... - CAN I SPEAK FOR YOU BROTHER?

August 10, 2000 ~ Chicago, IL
by Patrick T. Reardon
For more than 20 years Phillip Walker has been performing his one-man play, “Can I Speak For You Brother?” throughout the U.S., depicting the history of African-Americans through the words of six major black historical figures: Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. DuBois, Booker T. Washington and Haki R. Madhubuti . . . - POETIC JUSTICE

April 18, 2005 ~ New Port Richey, FL
by Steve Kornacki
Phillip Walker says it is inaccurate to call his "Can I Speak For You Brother?" a one-man play. Granted, he's the only member of the cast in a one-hour trip through black history from slavery to the 1970s . . .
. . . Phillip Walker, before receiving a standing ovation, closed by saying, "If I spoke for you brother, please speak now for me." - VOICES FROM HISTORY

October 16, 2001 ~ St. Joseph's, MO
by Tyrone Gethers, Jr.
...Amber Weeg, intern for Unity Services, said they wanted something that was entertaining as well as educational...
Sandy Rogers, Office of Unity Services Coordinator, said the materials that were presented were very interesting and kept the attention of the audience by being interactive... - CAN I SPEAK FOR YOU BROTHER?

February 3, 2007 ~ Longview, WA
by Janine Manny
Phillip E Walker took Clatskanie on a 300-year journey through African American history at the Donovan Wooley Performing Arts Center...
In the show, Walker takes on the voice and mannerisms of Black leaders. Booked by Clatskanie Arts, Commissioner Elsa Wooley said, "We were so impressed by his ability, spellbound. We've also seen what a gift he is to diversity and cultural exploration"...
"I'm still attempting to build that new society, the same as if I were still marching with Dr. King", Walker said, "If it works, it will cause people to talk to each other about subjects that are very uncomfortable...Small communities such as Clatskanie is where this work is needed and wanted, there I can really plug into the community"...
Sophomore Richard Klebs said he "learned a lot. "It was a really good show"...
The students seemed to enjoy the interactive assembly program. Every time Walker asked for a volunteer, nearly every hand in the auditorium shot up.
"I liked it, he's really funny," seventh-grader Brittany Littrell said after the second workshop..."I think being funny helps people learn things."
Keisha House, 17, a junior, said it was fun to be on stage with Walker. "We got a lot of really good information", she said.

THE GENESO LAMRON
April 11, 1996 ~ Geneso, NY
by Vidisha Parasram
Captivated and absolutely incredible are words that describe Walker.
The performance owes its appeal to the actor who delivered it. It was an illustration of complete embodiment that was displayed with energy and power. Walker believed in his message...
...the performance’s message is clear and applies to everyone. Never forget people that have worked to get you this far and always work for what you believe in and want to achieve...
- Like MLK, Entertainer has a Dream

February 19, 2000 Yakima, WA
by Jessica Luce
. . . The performance was part of the college’s celebration of Black History month. The Grandview performance was planned for only 20 to 30 students, but more than twice that attended, leaving standing room only.
Student President Katie Kellogg said she was surprised and pleased with the turn out and interest.
“After the show, we even had one teacher and one student in tears,” she said. “The students were impressed and afterwards a lot of people were going up to Mr. Walker to say ‘thank you’ and shake his hand.”
Kellogg said in her two years in student government she’s never seen so much interest or response from her peers. . .
“They weren’t coming because they wanted to learn about their (black) culture,” Walker said. “Even though they were not black, they knew it was about them” . . . - BLACK HISTORY YIELDS UNIVERSAL LESSONS

February 11, 2000 Manhattan, KS
by Nancy Foster
One man expressed the lives of eight different black leaders through acting, singing, changing costumes and characters . . .
“I think it was good how he acted things out. It really grabbed your attention instead of just making a speech,” Tom Reynolds, sophomore in physics, said. “The way he walked around made you feel like a part of it.” . . . - PRESENTER PERFORMS SKITS DEPICTING BLACK LEADERS’ STRUGGLES, SUCCESSES

“THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE PEOPLE LIKE PHILLIP WALKER IN THIS WORLD”, Candace Harris, Cultural Diversity, Mesa State College, Grand Junction, CO, February 22, 1996

“WE ENJOYED YOUR PERFORMANCE IMMENSELY”, February 8, 1990, Patricia E. Darrah, Associate Dean, Swarthmore College, PA

“WE MUST HAVE HIM BACK”, Cynthia Edwards, Convocations, Meredith College, Raleigh, NC, March 27, 1996


“AMAZING PHYSICAL CHARACTERIZATION”, Woodie King, Jr., New Federal Theatre, NYC

“INJECTS DRAMA INTO EACH EXPRESSION”, Karen McCrakin, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, AK

“RIVETING AND AMUSING”, Jerome Weeks, Dallas Morning News, TX

“YOU GET SO MUCH FROM ONE PERSON”, Nancy Johnson, Northeast Louisiana Delta African American Heritage Museum

“FINE LITERATURE”, Nancy Melich, Salt Lake Tribune, UT

“SUCCESSFUL IN GENERATING AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION”, Philip Thomas, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, NJ

“MOMENTS IN HISTORY LEAP INTO LIFE”, Griot, University of Illinois-Urbana

“A TOUR DE FORCE...”, New Hampshire Union Leader, NH

“COULD NOT HAVE BEEN BETTER”, Ruby Johnson, 1st Baptist Church, Webster Groves, MO

“ENERGETIC”, The Nashville Tennessean, TN

“YOU WILL BE IMPRESSED”, David Iaquinta, Nebraska Wesleyan University

“QUITE A PLAY”, Robert T. Hazzard, Wayne State University, MI

“PHIL WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL WITH OUR CONSERVATIVE STUDENTS”, Nick Seidler, Milwaukee School of Engineering, WI

“UNBELIEVABLY SUCCESSFUL”, Joseph Gresser, Vermont Performing Arts

“QUALITY THEATRE”, Oklahoma City Daily, OK

“REMARKABLE MAN”, Sheiron Y. Allen, Denver Weekly News, CO

“STUNNED, CHILLED AND WARMED THE HEARTS AND SOULS”, Patrice Smith, Evansville Courier, IN

“IN COMPLETE CONTROL OF AUDIENCE’S MOODS”, Lisa Dreyer, Ohio University Center Stage, OH

“EVERY BLACK AMERICAN NEEDS TO SEE THIS PLAY”, Louis Beveridge, University of Virginia, VA

“UNUSUAL SHOW”, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, TX

“THIS IS GREAT WORK”, Jennifer Novotny, Lyon College, AR

“SPECIAL EVENT”, Boston Globe, MA - Covering 31 years