Senior Edie Pike has always been interested in hearing other people’s stories. From chatting with friends and teachers to listening to people on her podcast, Voices, Pike has found numerous ways to learn about other people’s perspectives. This fall she is putting that interest into action by directing a cabaret show at North called “Lost and Found.” 

“I am very passionate about theatre, but also I am very passionate about talking about my own journey with my racial identity, so I thought why don’t I just combine those things,” said Pike.

Pike came up with the idea for Lost and Found over the summer with Theatre Ink director Adam Brown. According to Brown, “she wanted to make sure people of color had their voices heard, and I really wanted her to do it because I just thought she had the passion, the artistic ability, and the skill set to do it.”

Pike said that her experience in the show “The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God” was inspiring. “Connecting with each other and sharing stories about being people of color and kind of self discovering our racial identities was life changing for me.” The show featured Black Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) students at North, and she participated in it during sophomore year. 

According to Pike, her main goal for the cast is for members to gain a deeper understanding of their own racial identity. “I hope that people [in the community] learn more about the stories that are right under their noses.”

Pike’s good friend since middle school, senior Coral Lin, said, “Edie has a very introspective side to her and she is acutely aware of her own emotions and of others’ emotions and I think that’s part of what makes her a great friend and a great person.”

According to Pike, the resurgence in the Black Lives Matter movement also inspired this show. “I had gotten involved with a lot of social justice work over the summer and that sparked a new passion about BLM and allowed me to come forward with the idea for this show,” said Pike.

Pike’s work with amplifying community voices extends beyond her work with Theatre Ink. In April, Pike began a podcast called Voices. Her goal for the podcast “was to have conversations with people because I love talking and hearing people’s perspectives on really meaningful topics,” said Pike. She talked to mainly friends, but she also did an episode with Deb Vogel, the owner of All That Jazz Dance Studio. 

“If I were to continue with the podcast I would love to do more outreach to adult leaders in different communities because it’s great to talk with peers, but it would also be good to broaden my range of people that I talk to,” said Pike.

Pike also did social justice work over the summer with Families Organizing for Racial Justice (FORJ) to incorporate more anti-racist practices into the Newton Public Schools’ (NPS) school curriculum. She also worked on an initiative called Newton Overdue through the library. “We would select a book for people to read and then we would come together for a discussion,” said Pike. The initiative also hosted an event with Ibram X. Kendi, the author of How to be an Antiracist.

Additionally, Pike is an original member of North’s Next Gen Voices. Lin was one of the founders. “It started with the generation citizen curriculum that we did at Day, and when we got to North, we really wanted to continue building on that and continue being civically engaged and having an impact on our community,” said Lin. 

Pike’s ability to understand others has definitely made her well suited to all the work she’s been doing, according to Lin. Her ability to understand someone else’s experience allows her to help others understand it too.

Though Pike has done a lot for her community, she is excited to start the process for “Lost and Found.” Pike said “I hope that people of color will get to come forward to share and celebrate their stories with people of color and white people alike so hopefully there will be a better understanding for the diverse stories that are in our community.”