The theme of dreams appears at the onset of Harlem Duet and continues throughout the course of the play. In the Prologue, the character of She speaks of 1928 Harlem as what the African America community had always dreamed of: a place to live among themselves without fear, a community where artistic expression was alive and vibrant, and, as Billie refers to it later in the play, a sanctuary. This is fortified by the sound of Martin Luther King, Jr’s recitation of his 1964 “I Have a Dream” speech that plays at the play’s opening. While King’s iconic words were a defining moment in the civil rights movement, his dream of freedom and justice for all were countered by an equally compelling activist at the time, Malcolm X. His words from his “The Ballot or the Bullet” speech, open Scene 1 and discuss not an American dream but an American nightmare for the black community. King’s position of nonviolent protest is shut down by X’s call for Black Nationalism and autonomy.

Each character in Harlem Duet has his or her own specific dream: Amah hopes to open her own beauty salon and have another child;

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