A Claflin University professor will connect the past with the present in a historic performance prelude to the final presidential debate at Hofstra University.

Annette Dees Grevious, Claflin University associate professor of speech and drama, will portray 19th century abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sojourner Truth in an Oct. 14 performance at the Hempstead, N.Y., institution. The debate will be held Oct. 15.

Grevious is part of a group of performing arts scholars from across the nation invited to participate in “Democracy in Performance,” a part of a yearlong series of events about the 2008 election, politics and presidential history.

During the event, historic figures will have their say about race relations, war, the plight of the working class and the presidential “glass ceiling.”

“It connects history, particularly in a historic election that will yield either the first African-American president or the first female vice president,” Grevious said.

Grevious served on the Hofstra faculty as part of a faculty exchange between the institution and Claflin. This past spring, she was selected to participate in the event after Hofstra officials saw her delivery of Sojourner Truth’s famed address to the 1851 Ohio Women’s Rights Convention, “Ain’t I a Woman?” She will deliver the address during her Oct. 14 performance.

“It’s an excellent opportunity,” she said. “I am definitely excited about it.”

The event caps a year of acclaimed performances for Grevious that include a role in “Crumbs from the Table of Joy” with Theatre South Carolina and “Intimate Apparel” with African Continuum Theatre Company, the only black professional theatre company in Washington, D.C.

“As an actor and an academician, I have had an excellent year,” she said. “One thing keeps leading to another.”

Grevious is currently directing the Claflin University Theatre Ensemble in a production of “Christmas is Comin’ Uptown.” The ensemble’s performances are scheduled for Dec. 5-7 on the Claflin campus.

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