Black Writers Week
The documentary “A Crime in the Bayou” concerns a similar incident down in 1966 Louisiana, in which young white boys leaving a recently desegregated school taunted their black peers. Gary Duncan, an elder relative of two of the black boys, attempted to defuse the situation and ended up on trial for assault simply by patting one of … Read more
Below is the embedded video along with bios and headshots of each participant… STEVEN BARNES Steven Barnes is a New York Times bestselling author, screenwriter and educator who has written more than thirty science fiction, fantasy, and horror novels. Octavia E. Butler called Barnes’s Endeavor-Award winning novel Lion’s Blood “imaginative, well researched, well written, and devastating.” The NAACP Image … Read more
Chicago filmmaker Mark Harris appeared on The Media Lounge to discuss his latest project, “White People Money.” More information about Mr. Harris along with a chance to hear the interview can be found below his bio. Filmmaker Mark Harris never set out to make movies. But from an early age he knew two things for sure: … Read more
Although I never had the opportunity to meet you in person, I feel like I got to know you through your writing and, especially, with my experience as an Ebert Fellow—which evolved from my participation in the Film Independent Project Involve’s artist development program to other opportunities I have had in programs Chaz established after your death. For … Read more
All the leaders of the day—from President Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, William Lloyd Garrison and others—looked to Sojourner Truth for strength and inspiration. And she gave them hell when she disagreed with them! Our television series would showcase Sojourner’s amazing life story, irrepressible spirit and her individual courage. So, by 2019, the Calliwood Productions … Read more
The most shocking and impactful moment in my developing desire to become a Family Lawyer was when I witnessed two parents struggling with addiction, terminate their parental rights due to substance abuse. Every person in the room was crying. At that moment, I committed to never do a Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) again, and … Read more
Ms. Opal Lee, a retired educator, made it her life’s mission to see Juneteenth recognized as a national holiday. For her the past wasn’t the past. She continued the cause organized by Dr. Ronald V. Myers and his National Juneteenth Observance Foundation. When she was 90 years old she walked from Texas to Washington DC … Read more
“I’m just grateful to be a part of a project that is amplifying the voices of incredible Black writers and other creatives in the film and TV industry.” Danielle Scruggs. DANIELLE SCRUGGS Danielle A. Scruggs (she/her) is a photographer, photo editor, and writer based in Chicago, Illinois. She is also the founder and editor of … Read more
Such major releases as Scott Derrickson’s “The Black Phone,” Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” and Dean Fleischer Camp’s “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” will be among the new films reviewed throughout the week. “Flux Gourmet” director Peter Strickland and nationally recognized trial lawyer Ben Crump, the subject of Nadia Hallgren’s new Netflix documentary, “CIVIL,” are among the … Read more