Gem of the Ocean

August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean, set in Pittsburgh, in 1904, is the production that tells the story of that first generation of African Americans to emerge after the end of the Civil War and the death knell of slavery. This play suggests that belonging to a strong community adds meaning and worth to a person's life. For Solly, community seems more important than his own existence. After he escapes enslavement, he returns to the South to help free the people he cares about.  Aunt Ester's character appears in this play as "the embodiment of African wisdom and tradition". It is said that she arrived in America in 1619 and carries the history of Black people.