Having Our Say

You are invited into the home of Sadie and Bessie Delany.

When we meet the sisters, they are 102 and 103 years old, preparing tea and recalling the extraordinary lives they have lived together. With warmth, wit, and astonishing clarity, the Delany sisters guide us through the events that shaped modern America—from the rigid segregation of the Jim Crow South to two World Wars, the Civil Rights Movement, and the cultural transformations that followed.

​As they welcome us and go about their daily routine, their stories unfold into something larger: a deeply personal reflection on the American story—its triumphs, its failures, and the resilience required to endure both.

Having Our Say also marks the beginning of a new chapter for The Clemans Theater for the Arts, our new permanent home in the historic Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church. The church’s cornerstone, laid in 1888, comes from the same generation as the Delany sisters themselves. More than a century later, their voices return to a space built by that same era—where faith, community, and history have long gathered.

The production opens just before Juneteenth and runs through Independence Day, arriving as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary. The year 2026 is a banner year for reflection and celebration—not only for the country, but also for Cape May, which marks 175 years as a city and 50 years as a National Historic Landmark, a designation that includes this remarkable building and the surrounding historic district.
In this space, history is not distant; it is present all around us.