Thomas Wiggins (1849-1908) was an African American composer and pianist known as one of the greatest musicians of the 19th century.
19th century composer and musician Thomas Wiggins standing by a piano.
Wiggins was blind from birth and likely autistic. Although born into slavery, he was the first African American to perform at the White House, and toured throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Billed as “Blind Tom, The Blind Negro Boy Pianist” he became the highest grossing, most ticketed act of his time. After the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect in 1863, Thomas Wiggins was fought over in the courts like a piece of property, leading to him being placed under a conservatorship until his death. In the course of his career, Wiggins earned his owners the largest fortune ever attained by a pianist at the time, the equivalent of over $32 million today.
Today, an estimated 1.3 million disabled people are under conservatorship or guardianship in the United States, and this intersection of disability, guardianship, and artistic exploitation continues to pervade our contemporary narratives, such as the recent public discourse surrounding the guardianship of pop icon Britney Spears, making this film exceedingly timely. Through Wiggins’ story, Renegades explores the broader, systemic issues related to lack of agency for individuals kept under conservatorships, and pose critical questions about our definitions of individual capacity, control, and freedom.
The episode features interviews with: Angela Miles-Williams, a descendant of Thomas Wiggins; jazz pianist Matthew Whitaker; composer and musicologist George E. Lewis; classical pianist John Davis; Lydia X.Z. Brown, Founding Executive Director of The Autistic People of Color Fund; and Dr. Dwandalyn Reece, Curator of Music and Performing Arts at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. The episode also features performances by: Lachi, Matthew Whitaker, and John Davis.
About Renegades
Renegades is a series of five 12-minute short films showcasing the lives of diverse, lesser-known historical figures with disabilities, exploring not only their impact on and contributions to U.S. society, but also the concept of disability culture, which honors the uniqueness of disability. Hosted and narrated by the musician and disability rights advocate Lachi, who is blind, and created and produced by a team of D/deaf and disabled filmmakers, the series is designed to increase public knowledge of disability history, and encourage cross-cultural understanding between non-disabled people and those with disabilities – who make up 1 in 4 adults in America today.
Infused with the spirit of the disability movement’s mantra, “Nothing About Us Without Us,” Renegades places a focus on authentic storytelling, with a cast and crew composed almost entirely of disabled people, and a talent incubator model of filmmaking to mentor emerging directors, producers, writers, cinematographers, and editors with disabilities.
About the filmmakers
Marsha Hallager is the director and producer of Renegades: Thomas Wiggins. She is a multifaceted writer, producer and director who creates groundbreaking and critical content. Hallager started her career in radio, in Philadelphia, PA. She credits radio as her entrée into the world of television and film production. She is an accomplished independent documentary filmmaker, writer, producer and rising director with a keen sense of storytelling. Hallager’s achievements are multi-disciplined – she has worked across various genres, including unscripted to scripted television to horror films and feature documentaries. Hallager served as one of the executive producers and producers on the award-winning documentary, One Child Left Behind: The Untold Atlanta Cheating Scandal, and recently produced a music documentary featuring a GRAMMY award-winning artist. Her disability has taught her the value of resilience and perseverance, and she aims to create films that not only entertain and inform, but also inspire and empower audiences to overcome their own challenges. Through her work, Hallager aspires to highlight the emotional, physical, and societal barriers that individuals with invisible disabilities face on a daily basis.
Tameka Citchen-Spruce is the producer of Renegades: Thomas Wiggins. She works in the realms of Disability Justice activism, independent film production, screenwriting, and public speaking. In recognition of her outstanding contributions, Citchen-Spruce has received numerous accolades, including the prestigious 2021 ARC Detroit Advocate of the Year Award and the 2022 NACCD’s Betty Williams Equal Opportunity Award. Citchen-Spruce’s journey began at the age of 21 when she assumed the title of Ms. Wheelchair MI in 2006. In this role, she fearlessly spoke out against the abuse faced by women with disabilities, marking the inception of her impactful advocacy work. Her commitment to justice extends over 15 years, advocating for affordable and accessible housing, combating voting oppression against people with disabilities, addressing racial and gender injustices, and championing health equity. Citchen-Spruce produced, wrote and co-directed her short film, “Justifiable Homicide,” which not only garnered nominations but also secured an award. The documentary “My Girl Story,” another testament to her storytelling acumen, has been selected for various prestigious film festivals. And now she started a media and DEIB consulting company, Living Unapologetically Media LLC.
Diane J. Wright is the writer of Renegades: Thomas Wiggins. She is a filmmaker, author, and disability advocate. Wright is the voice behind Autastic.com. She is a biracial, multiply invisibly disabled Canadian-American of Afro-Caribbean descent and the first Ford School Hawkins Family Disability Policy Fellow at the University of Michigan’s Center for Racial Justice. Her collaborations with independent and profile directors, screenwriters, and studios over a twenty-year career has brought more authentic, inclusive, nuanced, and respectful representations of historically marginalized communities to screen. In 2018, Wright founded Autastic.com. Autastic has grown into a minority-lead initiative that provides resources and community to late-identified autistic adults, holds some of the only spaces dedicated to autistic people of color, and is the only resource of its size founded by a woman of color.
Original artwork for Renegades by Adriano Araújo dos Reis Botega.
