As always, you know I got you covered if you missed last week’s Conversations with Beloved & Kindred episode!!
Dr. Robinson and I had a pretty intense discussion on Eve’s Bayou, and just in case you didn’t know I will say it again….this is an excellent movie!!
Don’t believe me, check out our commentary and see for yourself! It’s definitely a game-changer!!
Check out the episode below:
Tune in on this Thursday May 12th at 3 pm/ET as Dr. Robinson and I continue our discussion n Blackness and horror with a discussion on the 1997 film, Eve’s Bayou!!
Check it out on Auburn Avenue Research Library Facebook Live and YouTube!!
This discussion explores the 1997 film Eve’s Bayou. Actress Kasi Lemmons made an auspicious debut as a writer and director with this delicately handled, wrenchingly emotional drama, hailed by critic Roger Ebert as one of the best films of 1997. Eve’s Bayou begins with ominous narration: “The summer I killed my father, I was 10 years old.” From that point the story moves backward in time and memory to Louisiana in 1962, when a young girl named Eve (Jurnee Smollett) witnesses a shocking act on the part of her womanizing father (Samuel L. Jackson). But what really happened? And can Eve be certain about what she saw when there is more than one interpretation of the facts? Less a mystery than a study of deeply rooted emotions rising to the surface to affect an entire family, the film has the quality of classic Southern literature, with layers of memory unfolding to reveal a carefully guarded truth.
Just in case you want to refresh your memory of the movie, check out the trailer below:
So this past weekend I had the pleasure of being featured in two news outlets VCU News and USA Today!!
For VCU News, I was interviewed about one of my Spring courses, “Say Her Name: Humanizing the Black Female Voice in Television.” I got a chance to surprise my students with one of the actress [Cherokee Hall who plays “Extra Extra”] from the STARZ television series “P-Valley”.
Check out some of the story here:
It’s important to Gipson that the course engages with what’s happening in the world. The representation of Black female actors and the characters they take on has always been essential to the success of television as a medium,” she said.
However, Hollywood is not quick to showcase, celebrate, and even hire them. Television has made strides, but it has been inconsistent and slow moving,” she said, adding that many of the women whose work the course studies are breaking barriers and re-setting television culture. I want students to see how television and film are a way to tackle issues and problems.
Joan Tupponce-VCU News
Now for the USA Today article, I switch gears and offer some social commentary on the Dave Chappelle incident and whether America can still handle a joke!!
Here are a few of my thoughts below:
But the combustible cultural moment we are living in — one roiled by political discord and pandemic restrictions — certainly is testing that joke and let joke philosophy, says Grace Gipson, assistant professor in the department of African American studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.
I feel like in his day Richard Pryor took things to an extreme maybe even greater than what we see today, but no one was bum rushing the stage, says Gipson. Today, it seems like people are free to show their anger beyond heckling.
Marco della Cava & Maria Puente USA TODAY
To read the full articles, check out the following links: VCU News and USA Today !!
As always, if you missed episode #4, I got you covered!!
We dug deep on this one, as it hit a personal note for both Dr. Robinson and I!
Check out the episode below:
To close out Women’s History Month, Dr. Robinson and I sat down to chat about the latest horror film on Prime Video, “Master” starring Regina Hall (directed by Mariama Diallo). This film hits very close to home for both of as we can identify with both main protagonists!! To see what we have to say (cause trust me, we got ALOT) check out our latest episode on this Thursday March 31st at 3 pm/ET on Auburn Avenue Research Library Facebook Live and YouTube!!
See the trailer below, and then check it out!!
Got another list of goodies waiting for you to push play!! A good mix of film and television to make you laugh, have you on the edge of your seat, and even make you go hmmmm. And as an extra bonus I dropped a few potential summer hits for you too!! Check them out below:
Season 3-A Black Lady Sketch Show (Streaming on HBO Max April 8th)
Roar (Streaming on Apple TV+ April 15th)
Limited Series-The Offer (Streaming on Paramount + April 28th)
The Takedown (Streaming on Netflix May 6th)
Candy (Streaming on Hulu May 9th)
The Terminal List (Streaming on Prime Video July 1st)
Bullet Train (In theaters July 15th)
Keeping it short and sweet for you all this month, I want to let the books shine!! This month is in honor of Women’s History Month!! Seven books that will capture a wide range of experiences all written by women!
Check them out below:
And remember you can always go back and check out the previous month’s list and past recommendations in the “Resource” section of the website!!
“Freeing yourself was one thing; claiming ownership of that freed self was another.”
– Toni Morrison
On this past Monday I had an opportunity to share a few of my thoughts on Black History Month and what it means to me with my sister-friend, line sister, and fellow CAU alum Nichelle Wilson and her organization Happy Mama Happy Mini!!
And just in case you might have missed it, you can check it out below:
This was such a fun interview and so glad I got the chance to share a few of my thoughts!!
Enjoy!!
#SuchAVibe…
On this past Saturday afternoon, I had the opportunity to participate in some real life “Black Girl Magic”!! As part of the “Black Feminist Future Series” put on by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, myself and four other AMAZING Black Afrofuturist women (Susana Morris , Tiffany E. Barber, Esther L. Jones, and Kinitra D. Brooks [moderator]) took part in a very fulfilling conversation about Black women and theories of the future!!
Nothing like sharing the “virtual” stage with a group of brilliant minds such as these Black women!! My mind, body, and soul were overflowing with Black joy and hope!!
Check it out below:
For more upcoming “Black Feminist Futures” events at the Schomburg check out the following link here!!
So recently I have had many people ask what would I recommend as an introduction into Afrofuturism. This is something that I am always talking about, teaching, and or even consuming for myself, so why not have a list for beginners! And voila…I compiled various books, short stories, comic books, graphic novels, children and YA fiction, and movies that offer a unique look into Afrofuturism.
Books
Short Stories/Lecture
Comic Books/Graphic Novels
Children/YA Fiction
Movies
Black Future Feminist 