As filmmakers of color—independent filmmakers working tirelessly outside a Hollywood system that has yet to recognize the value of multicultural voices as a profitable business model—we work and continue to work to have our stories told by our own hand. As Black women filmmakers we celebrate the vehicle that allows our unfiltered testimonies to the lives we live and the joys, trials and accomplishments of those we cherish around us. For more than two decades, African Voices Communications Inc. has provided access to a significant amount of literature from the African Diaspora—specifically film under their annual Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series. So many of my films have been celebrated by the sisters and brothers in my Reel Sisters family. I am thrilled to now serve on their advisory board as we continue this journey together. And as a film family we are often called to correct history especially when it comes to media representations of the Black community. With the recent murders of the #Charleston9 we at Reel Sisters knew it was time to lead a dialogue on the institutional racism that results from misrepresentations used to justify heinous acts. Together, we have the power to confront the real issues that have come to light. Filmmakers Stacey Muhammad (For Colored Boys), Mya B. (Afraid of Dark) join me (Little Brother) in confronting the racism that separates communities, unjustly and tragically. Please join us this Friday, 2pmEST for a Twitter Chat, Reel Talk: Charleston (Hashtags: #RSChat #Charleston9). It is time for an open dialogue as we begin to heal.
