Momma and Daddy: Daniel Ukpabi, "This Is America"

We first met Daniel Ukpabi on an unseasonably cold October morning at Shreveport Farmers' Market, where he was ladling out steaming bowls of spicy Nigerian stew and telling anyone who'd stop to listen about his fledgling not-for-profit organization, The Pacemakers. At the time, we were just beginning to plan All Y'all Live: "Momma and Daddy," and we walked away thinking: "Wouldn't it be great if he had a story about his parents?" It turns out, he did. Daniel took the stage on Saturday, March 12 at Bossier Arts Council's East Bank Theatre and charmed the crowd with memories of his youth in Nigeria, a bumpy road to America and a father who wouldn't give up.