Flyin' West

Sophie is a 36-year-old Black woman who was born into slavery. Although she isn’t related by blood to anyone in the play, she is the head of the family that she has assembled. She met Fannie and Minnie Dove in Memphis. Sophie, who was 16 and alone, was seeking a household to hire her to do laundry. Fannie, 12, and Minnie, who was only an infant, had just lost their parents, and the three girls became sisters. After they arrived in Kansas, Sophie invited their neighbor Miss Leah into the family, and she became like their mother.

Strong and tough, Sophie is also fiercely loving and protective. Even though she was young when slavery was abolished, the experience is imprinted on her, so she cherishes her freedom, taking a moment to enjoy some licorice or to laugh with her sisters. She’s also prepared to fight for her freedom, always armed with her shotgun and ready to point it. Miss Leah quips that Sophie is too mean to marry, but Sophie is wary of men who tend to come in and take charge. She isn’t willing to give up her role as the head of the household for the sake of marriage.