No Exit at Intermission: The Staying Power of On My Deen by Octavia McBride-Ahebee

Bringing faith and identity to the stage—playwright Antu Yacob and actor Evander Duck Jr. of On My Deen, now being presented by InterAct Theatre  and Theatre in the X until June 28th.

(Photo-Christopher Colucci )

After spending the weekend showing my out-of-town cousin some of Philadelphia’s cultural and culinary gems, we ended our mini-tour this past Sunday on a drizzling afternoon at InterAct Theatre in Center City to see the play On My Deen. I had already heard some buzz, even before its June 6th opening—a new play centered on Philadelphia’s African-American Muslim community.

Even as a non-Muslim kid growing up in West Philly during the 1970s and 1980s, Muslims were an integral part of the community. Their presence contributed to the landscape of many neighborhoods—from dress and language to faith and food.

As cousin Carol and I settled into our seats before the play began, I made my position clear: if this play wasn't absolutely riveting, we’d make a quiet exit at intermission—bags in hand, full of purchases, from the Odunde Festival. But when the lights came up midway through, we turned to each other at the exact same time. We weren’t going anywhere.

On My Deen, written by Antu Yacob and directed by Amina Robinson, spans 50 years—set primarily in West Philadelphia. The play explores pivotal relationships: the search for a belief system to anchor one’s life, the evolving bond between mother and daughter, and a mother’s quiet longing for a life beyond the domestic sphere. But the most poignant thread for me was the portrayal of a 50-year friendship between a Black man and a  Black woman—one that weathers war, imprisonment, and an unending search for a meaningful life.  Over time, this deep connection grows into a tender, late-in-life love story, culminating in marriage.

The cast of “On My Deen.” Top row, from left: Satchel Williams, Travoye Joyner, Najah Imani Muhammad. Bottom row, from left: Evander Duck Jr., Kimmika L. H. Williams-Witherspoon, Newton Buchanan. (Photo- Christopher Colucci)

What moved me most was how gently and lovingly this relationship is rendered. We first meet the main characters Faye Ann ( Young Fatima) played by Satchel Williams and Michael played by Travoye Joyner—as thoughtful, intelligent teenagers. We journey with them through the highs and lows of life, through long stretches of separation, and through the quiet persistence of their bond. Their friendship becomes a constant, a refuge, and eventually, a mature and poignant love. This is brilliantly rendered. 

Characters Faye Ann and Michael

Kudos to Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon who actually played 2 characters- Dr. Rivers and the older Fatima and to Evander Duck, Jr. who played the older Michael/Isa. On My Deen is a co-production with Theatre in the X, and it’s clear that the playwright—though not a Philadelphian—consulted earnestly with members of the city’s Black Muslim community. The play is rich with references to Philadelphia’s long-standing role as a center of African-American Islamic life. It nods to iconic figures like Dawud Abdel Hakim, founder of Hakim’s Bookstore—one of the oldest Black-owned bookstores in the country—and honors institutions like the Sister Clara Muhammad School. The story is deeply rooted in place, and alongside Muslim voices, it also includes references to well-known non-Muslim West Philly personalities, creating a textured and authentic sense of community.

The daughter of Fatima—Jamilah, played with great depth by Najah Imani Muhammad—acts as both a conductor of this journey and a traveler on one of her own, as she comes to better understand her mother. I loved how the playwright and director used this character, who begins the play seated in the audience with us, offering flippant commentary rooted in anger and misunderstanding. But as Jamilah reads through her mother’s diary, she begins to uncover her mother’s nuanced vulnerability and generosity both toward  herself and her community. 

Actor Najah Imani Muhammad portrays  Jamilah

Through her eyes, we witness an unraveling of assumptions. Several relationships in the play are given room to evolve and transform, all within the span of this two-hour presentation.

Newton Buchanan gave a strong, understated performance as Hasan, Fatima’s husband—grounding the character with quiet conviction and care. The intimate

Characters Fatima and Hasan portrayed by Satchel Williams and Newton Buchanan.

set and carefully selected period Black music are skillfully used to evoke Philadelphia’s distinct personality and spirit.

On My Deen runs through June 28, 2025. Visit the InterAct Theatre website for show dates and times, and to check out a full list of community events connected to the production—including TalkBacks, Muslim Affinity Day, Free Ice Cream Previews, and more. 

 https://www.interacttheatre.org/on-my-deen

*Photos courtesy of InterAct Theatre, unless otherwise noted.

Cousin Carol and me at the 50th Odunde
Festival here in Philadelphia.

*Every coffee fuels not just my writing, but the workshops, conversations, and creative spaces I help nurture. If you’re able, I’d be grateful for your support.

A C-Shaped Spine and the Straightest Path to Wonder by Octavia McBride-Ahebee

In a Northeast Philly hospital, a tiny girl’s

 Spanish showed me that Blackness had

 a global map. *Images generated using AI tools.

As an aging woman still living with the long-term effects of scoliosis and multiple back surgeries, I’ve spent more than 60 years learning profound lessons from my body’s journey.

A large part of my early life was shaped by my time — both as an inpatient and outpatient — at what was then called Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children, located in Northeast Philadelphia. I even attended school on-site during my stays. Though I spent long stretches away from home, my parents visited almost daily, other family members stayed closely involved — and even my beloved, radical nun teachers from Saint Leonard’s came to visit me wherever I was during those times I couldn’t be in school.

Surrounded by children living not only with scoliosis, but also those with spina bifida, cerebral palsy, and other congenital conditions, I learned to see beyond the limitations of the physical body. In that small, sheltered world, we found self-acceptance through the deep friendships and unwavering love we had for one another. Despite all we endured, there was joy, resilience, and a fierce sense of belonging to each other.

I also caught the travel bug there — a flicker of wanderlust that would eventually propel me around the world as an adult. No matter where I’ve gone, even on my last trip to Rwanda, for example, I’ve always, with intention, connected with disabled communities.

My curiosity about a wider world — one bigger than me, yet with me still on the scene— began the moment I heard a little, Black girl speak Spanish. And I glimpsed Blackness as a borderless truth. To entertain the fact that Black folk were telling stories in many languages, floored my little girl mind and excited it as well.

Catching a glimpse of myself in the wider world.

I always thank my C- shaped spine for alerting me early to the fact that black folk existed in other parts of the world other than just Philadelphia and that they had other narratives, told in other languages of what we share and how we are distinct. The idea, the possibility, the fact that we were everywhere, opened me to the whole of the world.

Children from all over the world came to that strip of the Roosevelt Blvd, in Northeast Philly, to be treated and I was fortunate to have the foundations of my little girl worldview shaken at its core while having my spine stretched and supported.

As one of the few Black children receiving care at Shriners at that time, seeing another kid of color was always a pleasure for me. On one visit, when I about 10, I was startled to see, what I thought to be, a U.S./African-American girl. She was younger than I, perhaps 5 or 6 years old, and she was unusually small and unable to walk. She was in a mobile crib-like contraption. She appeared to be without her parents and a nurse was escorting her to radiology, where we both were to have x-rays taken.

She must have felt very alone, because she started to cry and then to babble. But quickly, my ears were able to discern that there was a method and a purpose and lyricism to her outburst. It was almost poetic. My father, who had accompanied me that day to the hospital for an outpatient appointment, said the girl was speaking Spanish. WOW, I thought, a black person, a child, speaking another language.

I remember the care and precision with which my father proceeded to enumerate the seemingly endless possibilities of where that beautiful, black girl –immobile and all alone-might be from in the world-North Philly, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Spain, Peru, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea…. She and her Spanish-speaking-self, though seemingly caged, unleashed my sense of wonder about the world.

My father didn’t just see a girl in a hospital crib. 

He saw the world in her—and helped me see it too.

She marked the beginning of my wanderlust. That propitious meeting happened more than 50 years ago.Hearing the strange, beautiful, cacophonous sound of another language was like a sighting by ear — one that placed me firmly on a new path. That moment sparked my lifelong love affair with literature, food, and music from around the world. These have become the ways I begin to build and nurture global community. These are some of the ways I build community with new neighbors.

Concha Buika from Equatorial Guinea/Spain

I was listening all day to some of my favorite singers of African-descent who sing in Spanish. Concha Buika from Equatorial Guinea/Spain, Choc Quib Town from Colombia and Susana Baca from Peru.

Choc Quib Town from Colombia

In honor of that small, adorable Spanish-speaking girl and the lasting impression she left on me, I offer these reflections at a time when headlines and public policy too often reduce so-called foreigners —  neighbors — to threats or burdens. I am grateful that Shriners Hospital brought the world to its young patients, giving us the chance to encounter those once seen as strangers as people who expanded our compassion and deepened our sense of shared humanity. Those experiences awakened our curiosity about the world! 

Susana Baca from Peru

*Every coffee fuels not just my writing, but the workshops, conversations, and creative spaces I help nurture. If you’re able, I’d be grateful for your support.

Poetry Workshop Series with Yolanda Wisher at Drexel's Dornsife Center

Take part in the final workshop of the term at the Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships, led by Writers Room’s Spring Teaching Artist, Yolanda Wisher.

Poet Yolanda Wisher will lead her final Spring Term workshop on Tuesday, June 3rd, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. at the Dornsife Center. Titled Room for Error III, this session concludes her vibrant spring series. Continuing her playful, judgment-free approach to art-making, participants will collaborate to create a live sound piece—written, recorded, and mixed during the workshop.

Poet Yolanda Wisher

Yolanda brings not only brilliance to the page but generosity to the community. A few years ago, despite her demanding schedule, she graciously visited my classroom to work with my students—and to support a young poet honing her workshop facilitation skills under Yolanda’s guidance.

Poet Yolanda Wisher inspiring young 

minds with haiku writing in my old classroom.

Her commitment to nurturing emerging voices is matched by an extraordinary creative legacy.

Yolanda was named the inaugural Poet Laureate of Montgomery County and served as the third Philadelphia Poet Laureate. She is the author of Monk Eats an Afro, a Pew Fellow, a Leeway Foundation Transformation Award recipient, and a Philadelphia Cultural Treasures Artist Fellow. She founded the School of Guerrilla Poetics—a training ground for mobilizing communities through poetry—and currently serves as Senior Curator at Monument Lab.

Join the final workshop in her spring series at the Dornsife Center, where this spirit of community, creativity, and care will be in full bloom.

Where to go: Drexel University's Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships

3509 Spring Garden St, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Phone: (215) 571-4013

Yolanda Wisher gifting teacher and poet Octavia McBride-Ahebee a poetry collection by Sonia Sanchez.

A radiant moment—Yolanda Wisher
lights up at the students’ creativity.

Students proudly share their haikus
during this poetry session.