Fires in the Mirror is a play that follows the story of the riots in Crown Heights, an area in Brooklyn, during August of 1991. What makes the story unique is that it was written from the direct words of people that were interviewed from the riot. Because of this, much of the language is untraditional, and it doesn't read like a typical book.
In August 1991, a motorcade group, predominantly Jewish, drove through the Crown Heights neighborhood. In doing so, they killed an African American boy. Black men then harassed a Jewish man nearby, who was not involved, and stabbed him to death.
Both sides of the killings felts that they had not "payed back" the other side enough yet. Both of the murderers were able to run away or hide without getting even arrested. Because of this, the two major groups in the area, Jewish and African Americans, began rioting. Although tensions were high hung before this incident, this is what blew them out the roof.
Originally, Smith designed every role in the play to be filled by herself. However, this would be hard to do and would likely become a bit boring, so the roles of people she interviewed, including celebrities and religious leaders, were filled by other people. Although the play is set in Brooklyn, it is meant as an overview to America's racial problems in the early 1990's. Many riots such as this were happening all around the country, and Smith wanted to put them into context.
Overall, the play is a mixture of two groups that have long been discriminated against. Since both of them know what it is like to be hated, they bring that hatred outward, onto the other group, who then only reciprocate it. Smith wanted to show by performing this play that race isn't something to be ashamed of, nor is it an excuse for ruthless, unneeded violence.
