I am honored to have my article The Man Who Killed Our Son Still Needs Our Prayers published with The Good Men Project. In February, after the verdict on the killer of young Jordan Davis came back indecisive in a Florida Stand Your Ground case (to which most of us said, “Again”?) the words of the victim’s mother, Lucia McBath, took me by surprise. I was angry and sad, but I found her offering her son’s killer the gift of prayer a stunning game changer as to how we are being advised to move on. Her gesture moved me to write a series of articles on the subject of forgiveness and race. Please read and share. #JusticeforJordan
Under the Spell of our Coven
On a personal note: I am still celebrating last week’s phenomenal gathering of women, for which we are now referring to ourselves as Vero’s Creative Coven. To celebrate the birthday and New York visit of Zulu Film Commissioner Noxy Mavundla, filmmaker Véronique Doumbé hosted few of my industry sisters and new friends I encountered to meet Noxy and break bread on this special evening. Over a delectable meal, the friendships were instant and the wine was plentiful. We laughed and consoled as women who share a passion for the arts, feminism and progressive thinking. A toast to finding your kindred spirits while on your personal journey we know as life.
photo by Sergei Franklin
A Call for #WomenofMaidanWatch
A resounding call to action was made after this last #EConvo, our weekly Monday night international conversation presented by our Google+ Community. This is our second webcast featuring the women of the Ukraine. An EPIPHANY Conversation: Crisis in Crimea, A Return to Maidan provided a small window into a global event that will drastically change at least part of the world as we know it. Just one month prior in our weekly Google Hangout series, we met Christina Kotlar, Olha Onyshko and Adile (last name held back for safety) in order to learn firsthand how women were handling the annexation of their home country—a Ukrainian future in the hands of Russia. Like the rest of us who read and watch the news I knew we were witnessing history being made. Past world events of this nature have usually resulted in grave human consequences. So it has not been a surprise that in a matter of weeks, the Ukraine has experienced political unrest, a swift election, military aggression and continuous protests.
What cannot be denied is the humanitarian crisis that is brewing.
When we first met these women, some wayward observers on our first Google Hangout ridiculed me and members of the panel for being alarmists and just plain “stupid.” This past Monday night for our follow up webcast, we were joined by young Olena live from Kiev who could not fully reveal her identity because she was heading into the heart of the conflict zone just a few hours later at dawn. As her words were translated to me before our webcast, by coming on with us she would have a record and documentation that she was here—alive and providing support to her countrymen as a medical volunteer the night before she was to head into the unknown. The patriotism (translation: bravery) expressed by these women, such as Adile’s refusal to apply for a Russian passport even if her livelihood depends on it, shows the resistance Putin faces when confronting a woman with Crimean Tartar roots. Adile and Olena are women under 30. They have told us jobs are scarce, unbiased medical treatment is not available for the wounded and the threat of kidnapping surrounds them at every moment. Here in the States, Olha and Christina stressed the need for safehouses, bulletproof vests and helmets, and financial support.
For the next few weeks it may be a bit difficult to communicate with our new friends in the battle zone. So we decided to turn on the #WomenofMaidanWatch hashtag. Across all social media, #WomenofMaidanWatch will be a point of contact. We hope to stay in communication as well as grow public support for the women of Maidan. They should not feel as if they are protecting their families and communities alone.
After getting to know these women I believe them when they say the women will be the ones to peacefully end the unrest. But as demonstrated by Olena who put on her uniform and displayed her badge for us when we disconnected our evening’s public broadcast, the #WomenofMaidanWatch will never give up the fight.
Little Brother: It Never Gets Old
This week Little Brother: The Fire Next Time (Chapter 4) was published as a catalog item with our distributor Third World Newsreel. You may see it here. This is our fourth Little Brother listing with TWN and my fifth listing as my film Gershwin & Bess: A Dialogue with Anne Brown sells exclusively through their catalog as well. Pertaining to Little Brother, when producer Jasmin Tiggett and I set out a little over four years ago to film one chapter per year in a different area of the U.S. with a tight budget, and an ambitious premise, we knew it would be a huge undertaking. We also asked one of the fiercest advocates for Black boys, Dr. Raymond A. Winbush (author, The Warrior Method), to accompany us on this journey. He was on board from the start. Each Little Brother chapter is a 15-minute documentary. These installments are smaller in scope, but still held in high standard. Chapter 4 is very special because it brings to light the conflict between the Cherokee Nation and the Descendants of the Freedmen in the state of Oklahoma through the eyes of young boys.
The beauty and the why as to the very existence of the series' mission is evident when a packed and curious audience lights up and smiles along with young Black men on the screen talking about love, family, friendship and hope. Our fourth chapter in our journey of ten chapters is now for sale. We are available for in-person screenings and discussions, even townhalls, for tax-deductible donations. Little Brother has been incredibly generous to all who come in contact with the film. And, as you may suspect, it never gets old.
Plenty of Conversation on Monday Nights
I've been thrilled to produce and host our weekly Monday night Google Hangouts known as An EPIPHANY Conversation. We began them last month, and have enjoyed the benefits of an international conversation that airs live on YouTube. Our webcasts continue to be discovered by audiences viewing the Replay. From these views, we are now known for our ability to offer an inside view to some of the world's most captivating topics and the interesting personalities behind them. Tonight we are pleased to present author Joyce King who shares meeting the love of her life after serving on the team that helped free him from 27 years of wrongful imprisonment. Criminal defense attorneys Ken Foote from Florida and Judith Bourne from the U.S. Virgin Islands will enlighten us on conditions on and off shore today that set the scene for much more exonerations to come. Future Monday evenings will cover the topics of single motherhood, sexual slavery, fatherhood in the age of My Brother's Keeper and a follow up to our conversation on the Ukraine with the #WomenofMaidanWatch. We are #EConvo on all social media. Join us here at An EPIPHANY Conversation. See you online!
DC put us to work
This past weekend the Little Brother production team and moderator Jarvis Sams were presenters at The Association of Black Psychologists Student Circle 6th Regional Conference. We were hosted by Howard University. Our film presentation and discussion were part of day-long events that exposed budding psychologists to the mental health profession and to those of us who support their efforts. For the very impressive Howard crowd we screened Little Brother: Things Fall Apart (Chapter 1) and Little Brother: A Do Right Man (Chapter 3). Personally it never gets old to hear that our film was "excellent" and "a relief." Watching our young men on screen is a special treat and offers a different perspective of young Black males as they talk about the love they feel in their lives. Sams, a first year doctoral student based in Los Angeles, led the discussion with a request for audience members to write their impressions of Black males aged 13 on an index card for the anonymous box we provided. I am still reviewing the submissions as it informs my team of the work still to do. Numerous times the word "impressionable" came up. Other thoughts: "Given so much stress from such high expectations but so little help or attention to reach it." "Struggles." "Fatherless." "Being profiled." "Trayvon Martin." We hear you Howard. And the Little Brother film series feels even more empowered to continue giving our young Black men a voice.
Little Brother Screens this weekend at Howard University
One of my favorite activities is screening our 15-minute conversation pieces--the documentary chapters known as Little Brother--to audiences everywhere. This Saturday we will screen and have a discussion, moderated by Jarvis Sams, for the psychology students at Howard University. Little Brother is for everyone to see. We feature young Black men and their thoughts on Love. Sams is an active member of the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi) Student Circle. Having screened on the West Coast with their members and now with members on the East Coast, the Little Brother film series is proving its viable place in the field of psychology and changing our nation's conscious and unconscious attitudes toward young Black males as a whole. At least we hope so. More info about this weekend or hosting a tax-deductible Little Brother event of your own may be found here at LittleBrotherFilm.com.
#TalkItUpTuesdays
Our online Google+ Community Page, An EPIPHANY Conversation welcomes your announcements, promotion of work, crew needs, or show that's casting, an upcoming lecture, an upcoming product for sale...the works! Please post it on Tuesdays at An EPIPHANY Conversation (click here) for "Talk It Up Tuesdays"! You must be a member of the EPIPHANY Conversation Google+ Community to post. Share your news and re-share news with peers! From Midnight to 11:59pm on Tuesdays, feel free to post with the hashtag #TalkItUpTuesdays.
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