THE LEGACY OF LORNA C. HILL
"...and everyone in my world loved me despite the fact that I was not truly of them. I was rich."
This is the last line of “Geronimo”, from Lorna’s one-woman show, Yalla Bitch. A line that is quintessentially Lorna C. Hill, a beacon of love and light for the 69 years she shared the grounds of this earth with us, that love, that light was reflected right back to her.
Today we celebrate Lorna’s 70th birthday and in that celebration, we also hold the immense grief we collectively share because she is not here with us. This past year has been incredibly hard for us and our beloved community in a multitude of ways but we are reminded, through the memory of Lorna, that with love, with community, with purpose, and with justice we can see it through together. Lorna had an amazing talent of deeply and purposefully connecting with people. When she cared for you as a member of her community, a member of her family, you created a bond that was unique to just the two of you. As our communities begin to open up and we enter back into the world of connecting with one another, we must hold on to this simple but powerful tool of deep and purposeful connection. We at Ujima could not have gone through this last year without you all, our beloved community, a community that was built and cultivated by Lorna. She has left us all with the charge to take care of one another and that is what Ujima Company is doing. We will put love and justice at the forefront of all that we do. We will build our beloved community. We will utilize the powerful and beautiful tool that is the performing arts to tell the stories that need to be told. It is no surprise that Lorna’s impact has rippled out far and wide as evidenced in the generous outpouring of support and beautiful testimonies that you all offered to Lorna. She will always be a force in our lives. Wherever you are celebrating today, love deeply for you will be richer because of it. Happy birthday Lorna, we love you.
~ The Ujima Family
Lorna C. Hill BUFFALO, NY
Founder and Artistic Director of Ujima Company, Inc. for 41 years.
Born June 25, 1951 at Mount Vernon, NY. Departed this life peacefully June 30, 2020.
Dearest daughter of Ruby Byars, sister of Donna Mills, beloved mother of Amilcar Hill, and Zoe Scruggs, grandmother to Asa Hill and Solace Hill, and Aunt of Rikkia Mills. Dearest beloved friend of Rahwa Ghirmatzion, Bob Ball, and all of the Ujima Company Members 1978-present. A celebration of life is being planned and will be announced at a later date. To offer your sympathies during this difficult time you can send cards and gifts to Ujima Company, Inc. 429 Plymouth Avenue, Suite 2, Buffalo, NY 14213. For online messages of sympathies please share your condolences to the Facebook page www.facebook.com/LornaCHillLove/.
In lieu of flowers, donations will be graciously accepted at bit.ly/lornachill.
All Female Cast
Approaching Simon
Blues for an Alabama Sky
Nurse Finn
Penthesalea
Sexual P in Chi
The Fall of the Amazons
Threepenny Opera
Trouble in Mind
Yalla Bitch