Documenting Racism in Anna Deavere Smith’s Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities

This article investigates the documentation of racism in Anna Deavere Smiths Fires in the Mirror (1992), which is a one-person drama that talks about the Crown Heights riot, happened in Brooklyn in August 1991 and its aftermath. The play is told through the African-American and Jewish perspectives by the people who are attached directly and indirectly to the unrest. The study explores the historical roots for what happened in Crown Heights through documenting the racist acts exercised by both the blacks and Jews in Brooklyn. The study introduces a better understanding for this historical event highlighting the real reasons behind this act of violence.