Last week’s feature was Spectacular – we wil share photos soon and have a special new way to send patron postcards! So excited about this!
Just a note: our Instagram account was hacked. We have lost access and have continued to attempt to get in to no avail. We are certainly disappointed and will give it a few more tries before re-building.
“DETROIT” opened yesterday —
By all means make your own decision on whether or not to see it, or where or not to like it…
The flood of critique over the film encourages me. Post-Detroit’s World Premiere of the film on Tuesday, July 25th, the headlines say it all...” ‘DETROIT’ Gives Very Little To The Black Community To Hold On To” on Vibe.com
or Angelica Jade Bastien’s Review on RogerEbert.com. “Watching “Detroit” I realized that I’m not interested in white perceptions of black pain.”, she writes.
I left the theatre of two minds: happy to be with family in my ever-changing home-city but a little dumbstruck. My brother and I walked out of the FOX theatre, the bustle of Hollywood around us. We took a selfie to appropriately document our time as two adult-siblings hanging out and then walked through the neighborhood to a nearby bar, (reminding me of the metro area I was heading back to in a couple days), Queens Bar.
Queens Bar – Detroit, MI
We talked it out… amongst ourselves and friends we ran into, getting their take on the history of the city they knew from their parents who had lived through this experience, either riot or rebellion in their youth. There was a lot of silence… what did we really just see… Something just didn’t feel quite right… the common thread tying most of the reviews and articles on the film together: “Detroit” was directed, written, produced, shot, and edited by white creatives who do not understand the weight of the images they hone in on with an unflinching gaze.”, writes Angelica.
John Eligon wrote in The New York Times,
But with “Detroit,” she had to wrestle with how far to push reality — how to convey the real-life horror of racism, without exploiting black trauma. “It’s really a question of how do you humanize and how do you bring to life a situation,” Ms. Bigelow said. “I suppose you use a personal judgment, I guess.”
Personal Judgement or not, did Ms. Bigelow have the right to tell this story of a city fraught with a racial history goes back so far or so deep that many have forgotten. As a Detroit native, am I interested in an outsider’s perspective? I would have been more interested if an outsider had encouraged some home-city talent to be involved….AT THE VERY LEAST. Who is going to stand up for Detroit? If Ms. Bigelow was consulted by her friend (another Native Detroiter), professor and historian, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, I would have liked to see a black producer line the stage at the FOX alongside the otherwise all-white team.
These things matter to me.
It is a basic representation issue.
The film’s screenwriter, Mark Boal made his own case on Vulture. “…the events in Detroit are hard evidence of a cultural crisis that remains unresolved, of two Americas that still don’t know quite how to deal with each other.”
I could go so far as to inquire whether or not this extends into the production team. If one truly understands what is happening in Detroit, then they understand the optics of opening a film introducing a crew of white creatives to a packed house crowd in a city that is 83% black.
COME. ON.
ok… I’m taking a deep breath here and maybe it’s best to just go to Danielle Eliska Lyle, fellow dramatist and Native Detroiter. Danielle wrote an eloquent piece that appeared in Detroit Metro Times this week and my words are starting to feel like broken records, so I’ll let others continue to break those records:
Danielle left before the film was over and I couldn’t blame her or any of the other people that walked out — it was hard to stomach much of it, especial in the #blacklivesmatter era.
But I usually forge through most things – good or bad – I have a stubborn spirit.
One week before the premiere, I attended a lecture at Charles Wright Museum of African American History. I had just taken in the Detroit ’67 Perspectives Exhibit at Detroit Historical Museum (where I used to docent in middle school) and met a woman who led me to attend the talk on S.T.R.E.S.S.
Charles Wright Museum of African American History
I took in the city some more, visiting Great Lakes Coffee on Woodward Avenue. I felt like I was back in New York at ‘sNice, a spot I used to frequent in the West Village during my MFA years on Bank Street. It closed a couple years ago, but the vibe at Great Lakes was similar. Open space and an atmosphere of productivity. Some musicians played quietly behind me, others, likely Wayne State University students, worked on their laptop. A young man approached me asking about my camera, as I was reviewing photos from the exhibit. He wanted to know about an upgrade and what might be the best camera for him. I helped how I could, pleased to make more contact with a gentle stranger.
Inside Great Lakes Coffee, Midtown, Detroit, MI
During the moderated Q and A, a woman stood up, she had been up for a job as a city planner in the 70s. She recounted how surprised a potential male colleague, I believe she said he was South Indian, was to see her, a black woman… moreover, a Detroiter. She didn’t get the job.
[Cough… Dan… Cough.. Gilbert… Cough… Affordable… Cough… Housing].
Detroit is a city with such a diverse population that I’m not sure all stories will ever be given their justice, but one can try. “DETROIT” tries… but ultimately, the subject of the city is such a sensitive one.
So “DETROIT” for me is a cautionary tale. No matter how famous you are… part of that responsibility in my opinion is to employ others who could assist the justice to that piece. It is looking at the whole of the picture. An Academy award gives one an extraordinary amount of power… so what are you going to do with it…
Kathryn Bigelow wanted to get the conversation started… so the one she has unearthed is on representation… we’re back to that… we never really left it, she just reminded us, whether she meant to or not.
Two years ago, my parents sold our childhood home. I mentioned little about it publicly, but started writing something that I eventually had to put down because I didn’t have the rest of the story. I was in New York and hadn’t been back to Detroit for a while. I knew to finish telling the story, I needed to be in the city [Detroit].
This summer, things just kept happening… and we stayed…my kids and I, that is… A month later, I was able to experience the week of “Rebellion” events leading up to the 50th Anniversary on July 23rd and nearly 1500 photos later, we have this story that was published on Salon.com
The lesson here… PATIENCE.
I was dying when the house was sold and full of a lot of feelings, but with time, my feelings of angst were better articulated with the story of Detroit and while this is likely only the beginning of this story, I am so very happy I bugged who I bugged and pitched who I pitched.
Enjoy!
Read my article, “DETROIT”: Cleaning up the mess white people made or adding to it? on Salon.com, HERE.
There has been a lot going on in our world since April! Our next feature is coming up in June! We are excited to tell you about it and excited by your support!
We COULD NOT do this without you and your monthly support.
at the end of May, we did a 10-minute excerpt from “Shoppin’ for N.I.G.G.A.S” at Theater fie the New City’s LES Festival! It was exhilarating and left people asking for more! Your monthly support assisted with some of those artist stipends – so Thank You!
When I was re-vamping my Patreon rewards this year I wanted to do something that really connected you to what my inspirations might be and who I am looking to in the world.
From that idea was born the Weekly Inspiration Post. For now, these are public, but eventually they will be for Patrons only. As my dear Patrons, you will have access to these posts via the patron-only patreon feed.
Plus, there is a level where I’ll compile each month’s worth of posts in an e-book for your e-reading device pleasure!
So let’s begin!
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January 15, 2017
Weekly Inspiration #1
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama
1st Lady of the United States of America
What might feel like a cliché or redundant inspiration is where my mind currently rests.
This is a transitional week for the United States.
On Friday, Donald J. Trump will take office. ( ? that was hard to type… ) In all seriousness, I have a lot on my mind this week and last night, found myself in some deep nostalgic Obama moments, Michelle Obama to be specific. I watched the DVR’d CNN special on her legacy as a style icon and the 1st African-American 1st lady, I watched her last appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon as The First Lady and the Oprah Interview last month.
I just wanted to sit with her. Hear her voice. See her… a black woman with hips and curves and arms that I saw my own in.
I cannot tell you how much it is going to hurt to see her replaced…er leave.
But why is she an inspiration?
Even though I’ve been busy with having and raising kids over the last couple years, every time I saw her or read something that included her, I felt I could connect to her in a way that was unattainable with other public officials at that level, so my little YouTube binge the other night maybe showed me some things I did not know.
She always remains familiar by connecting people from multiple backgrounds, and socio-economic levels.
That is a big deal.
She exudes a passion for what she believes in and follows through with her goals as evident by her successful White House initiatives.
She ignites in me a feeling of wanting to complete big projects and I bounce when I hear her speak….really. I found myself bouncing, on the tips of my toes or leaning forward to soak her up… I want to bask in Michelle Obama’s sun-rays because while she is not going away, the role will be different. It will not be a role and we cannot forget what she did.
I want to bask in Michelle Obama because her words are careful and deliberate and when she chose to speak it had more meaning than 100 politicians put together.
I want to bask in Michelle Obama because she is Black.
I want to bask in Michelle Obama because she is Black —and it took me years to love and embrace my Blackness because I did not see anyone like a Michelle Obama the way we saw her in the world.
So this week as I put a few essays into the world, I am channeling Michelle Obama. Her drive to move beyond what was expected or what others thought she was going to do or could do in her life and her dedication to healthy eating, higher education, service members and their families and the education of adolescent girls around the world.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
from one mother to another
from one black woman to another
from one woman to another
My Moleskine collection is pretty extensive, at least for me. From the first time my dad bought me one at a Barnes and a Nobles in Metro Detroit to the mini mini ones I carried around during Grad School in New York City, observing the people and things in the city I love so much. Notebooks have always been my thing. There is never one very far away.
On Friday, my 4year old “graduated” from Pre-school, and as this is our first summer as Westchester residents, I have decided to really give the county a chance. That and the $400-$500 a week for day camps is currently not in the budget.
I know what you’re going to say…
I don’t even know how long it’s been since my last blog post… but here’s another. No promises on frequency (which hopefully means I’ll be back more frequently).
Anyway…
After my Washington Post “On Parenting” article last month, I was floored by the response from dancers, especially dancers of color and former dancers who related to my words.
One of the people who contacted me was Denise from The International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD). IABD was interested in my taking part in #dyeingtomatch, their campaign to raise awareness around the lack of appropriately colored dance wear for dancers of color.
So this week, I am behind the scenes on their social media and the most exciting part is that I have been interviewing dancers and black dance wear companies for the last two weeks. There wasn’t as much time as I hoped, but I have a good feeling that this could expand… who knows.
I am giddy doing this work because I am doing what I have always done – I am telling stories. This time, a visual story and doing work that makes you feel good and helps others is vital in my book.
Follow the campaign on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @iabdinc or using #dyeingtomatch.
My first intro clip is below:
I feel proud of this work and hope you enjoy it. Thanks for stopping by and spread the word if you feel so inclined! 🙂
Since becoming a mother in 2012, my life has been one of balance. From moments of chaos to moments of zen, the day to day realities of becoming a parent are those that I have dealt with both privately and publicly.
