Photo appears courtesy of Two Dollars and a Dream. (Stanley Nelson)
Photo appears courtesy of Two Dollars and a Dream. (Stanley Nelson)
WORLD Channel, the award-winning broadcast channel and multi-platform outlet dedicated to bringing diverse content to public media audiences, invites viewers to join acclaimed documentarian Stanley Nelson and author A’Lelia Bundles – the great-great-granddaughter of Madam C.J. Walker – for a special online screening and discussion on Monday, August 10. The two will discuss the need for representation and accuracy in storytelling as well as the true story of Bundles’ ancestor, the trailblazing businesswoman and hair and beauty icon who became the first self-made female millionaire in the United States, and fact versus fiction in the films on her life.
The conversation will be followed by an online screening of Two Dollars and a Dream, Nelson’s documentary on the life of Madam C.J. Walker, which was the first film to examine Walker’s life. In Two Dollars and a Dream, Nelson traces Walker’s rise from her humble beginnings as the child of enslaved parents to become America’s first self-made female millionaire. As the grandson of Freeman B. Ransom, the attorney for Walker and the general manager for the Walker hair care company, Nelson was able to interview the men and women who worked with Walker and knew her and her empire best; the sales representatives, office assistants and executives who helped the beauty pioneer run her company.
The film also devotes attention to Walker’s role as the nation’s first Black philanthropist and her commitment to promoting the empowerment of the Black community as well as her daughter A’Lelia Walker’s role as a patron of the Harlem Renaissance. See a trailer below:
The 1987 film is Nelson’s debut work and marked the start of a career that would go on to include films such as Freedom Riders (2010),The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (2015), The Murder of Emmett Till (2003) and Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (2019).
An award-winning journalist and author, Bundles joins the screening event and discussion to speak about the real story and legacy of her great-great-grandmother, Madam C.J. Walker. Author of On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker, which offered inspiration to the Netflix series on Walker, Self Made, Bundles, along with Nelson, will discuss Walker and her contemporaries while also addressing the need for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) representation at all levels in storytelling. The virtual discussion will be hosted by Emmy-nominated journalist Tina Martin, the host of the WORLD series “Local, USA.”
Promotional collateral for A’Lelia Bundles and Stanley Nelson’s discussion of Madam C.J. Walker on World Channel.
The special virtual event and screening of Two Dollars and a Dream will be held on Monday, August 10 at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT). Viewers can register for the free event here or visit worldchannel.org/events. An audience Q& A with Nelson and Bundles will follow the screening of Two Dollars and a Dream.
This post was curated by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire.
2020 U.S. Democratic Vice-President Hopefuls.
Photo: TBW
As Election Day approaches there is an unusual hush over the nation. It is not the hush of productivity though; it is the hush of distraction. We as a community seem to have the attention span of a gnat. Unable to focus on what’s most important because we are bombarded daily with content masquerading as facts or information that is useful for daily living.
COVID-19 and its ominous presence among us has overtaken our psyche, news hour and newsfeed. Opinions run the gambit – from it’s a hoax to we’re all gonna die, and while neither of these extremes is true, it’s a foreboding of what is to come.
The “Rona” has interrupted summer vacations, graduations, weddings, anniversaries and disrupted how we pay our respects to those we have lost. A heinous and ubiquitous pall has been cast over our lives because of it. Yet, life goes on. Spring still turned to summer. Summer will surely turn to fall and so on. The earth reminds us that no matter what – we must continue.
The upcoming elections are probably one of the most critical in our lifetime. We cannot be distracted by Will and Jada or any table of any color. We cannot allow the shenanigans of even our President to keep us from what is now our most solemn duty – voting.
President Obama was a community organizer. This singular skill set, among many other gifts and talents embedded in his leadership skill portfolio, won him the election. He knew and still advocates that if we have an issue with any elected official, we must express our support or displeasure at the polls. This election year is no different in recognizing that fundamental truth.
Many have heard all this before, but it now bears repeating – too many have given their lives for us to have the right to have a say in who leads this country for us to stay home.
So, let’s deal with the folks that are demanding Joe Biden select an African American VP and if he doesn’t, then they won’t vote.
2020 United States Vice-Presidential Candidates. (Photos: Google Images)
First of all, that’s like arranged child marriages. Who enjoys being told who to love? No one. Yep, I’m mixing metaphors here because while we can make suggestions and even strong recommendations, this is not our call to make. The person selected must be able to work with Joe, agree with his agenda and not mind being a part of his team. There’s more to consider than the photo-op and historicity of the matter. Are there qualified African American names that should make Biden’s VP short list? Yes. Should we advocate that they do? Yes. Should there be anything that keeps us from voting for Biden even if he doesn’t select a Black woman? No. Here’s why: we have for better or worse, a two-party political system that demands we vote for one of two candidates. Period. Staying home this time, only ensures the victory of the incumbent and in no way hurts the candidate running against him.
Don’t be that naïve. Don’t be that extreme either. You hate your boss, but you still take your Black self to work. You deal with people every day you wouldn’t necessarily hang out with after work or on a weekend. Same premise, different scenario. Don’t suddenly be so high and mighty that you cut off more than your nose to spite your face and risk four more years of flagrant disregard for truth and belligerent ignorance masquerading as leadership. Americans have lost so much in the last four years that it will take at least two competent, 24/7/365, terms just to get us back to Obama metrics on any issue: climate change, gender equality, arms agreements, social justice, financial market stability and let’s not even mention our overall standing in the world as a true global power for good and not comedy and memes.
The real world is happening right in front of us. You can pretend that by voting Democrat for every category except President or writing in some overlooked candidates’ name is doing something, but it really is only making you feel better or righteous and sending your vote for president straight to the incumbent.
So here’s what we can expect:
There will be voter suppression. It has been on full display in state primaries already. VOTE ANYWAY.
There will be voter intimidation. Fake poll taxes. Russian interference. Gun toting hoorahs trying to confuse you or simply intimidate you on your way in the door. VOTE ANYWAY.
There will be long lines and misinformation. VOTE ANYWAY.
There will be people in those lines and at your polling sites that don’t like you, don’t agree with you and will express their opinion. VOTE ANYWAY.
Do I have to remind you about how many people lost their lives for you to exercise this simple right? The most recent being the most Honorable John Lewis.
I had the opportunity to lead a bus tour through the deep south for President Clinton in 1992 as a final push to Election Day. Our speakers were the formidable members of the Congressional Black Caucus: Mike Espy, Charlie Rangel, Cardis Collins, Bill Clay, Kwesi Mfume, Donald Payne, Barbara Lee and Sheila Jackson Lee. What an honor to host them. In true Black people style, a game of bid whist broke out and Charlie “Harlem World” Rangel and Cardis “Chi-town” Collins were whooping the pants off of John Lewis and Bill Clay to the point of tears of laughter.
Charlie Rangel was talking about people’s mama with true bid whist bravado. As the game came to an end, John Lewis began to recount stories from his time with Dr. King and the entire bus was silent as he regaled us with stories of the legend of a man who walked among us and gave his life along with many nameless, faceless others for the rights we so lazily take for granted today. By the time he was done, there was water in every eye. Even the bus driver slowed his pace as John Lewis’ southern drawl filled the air and our hearts with pride. Every accomplishment and every sacrifice gave new meaning to the work at hand – electing a Democratic president. It was a privilege to do so. A right sprinkled with the blood of the fallen. When he finished speaking, we had arrived at our next campaign stop and the fire was lit. We met the Vice President there and we lit such a fire under those folks that we took that state from Republican incumbents from the top of the ballot to the bottom. This is the power of your vote and a little inspiration.
Part of the reason people are mourning the loss of Reverend C.T. Vivian and Congressman Lewis is the realization that nobody is coming to save us Black people. We are going to have to save ourselves. Nobody is coming to “lead” us anywhere. We’re going to have to lead ourselves. We are going to have to both lead and serve. We’re going to have to make logical decisions in a world filled with illogical people and an imperfect political system that can work against us far too often. Every once in a while, it works the way it should and that is when we turnout and vote like we should have been voting all along.
So, make sure you and your voting-age family members vote – whether or not Puffy runs Get Out The Vote (GOTV) ads on Revolt and MTV. Make sure your neighbors vote and folks have rides to the polls – whether or not Bob Johnson gets you 40 acres and a mule. VOTE as if your life depends on it, because if you didn’t know before, you now know. VOTE. VOTE. VOTE. VOTE.
We have the power to change the course of history — for real. Show every force opposing our very existence in this country, that every right given will be exercised no matter what the opposition.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with unalienable, undeniable, irrefutable rights, among them are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — and the end of incompetence in the highest office in the land. If you believe that, then VOTE.
Michele R. Brown is a former political operative who served at the DNC under Chairman Ron Brown and Deputy Chair, Alexis Herman – and both Clinton administrations. Writer. Critical Thinker. Storyteller. Dog Person. Follow her @micheles_pen on Twitter and @MichelezPen on Facebook.
Bounce TV will broadcast the farewell memorial service live Thursday, July 30, beginning at 11:00 a.m. (EST). The service will also be live-streamed at BounceTV.com.Watch the preview of the livestream here.
Congressman Lewis, who was arrested 40 times, five of those times since being a member of Congress while fighting for social justice, dedicated his entire life to racial progress. In 2011, the Georgia Democrat received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. The beloved civil rights icon was serving his 17th term as a Congressman representing the Congressional 5th District prior to his death.
Prior to the live broadcast, Bounce will present Celebrating Atlanta’s Freedom Fighters: Fathers of the Movement (10:00 a.m. ET). Bounce is partnering with Atlanta affiliate WSB-TV for this one-hour special which honors the lives and accomplishments of Lewis and fellow civil rights legends Reverend Joseph Lowery and Reverend C.T. Vivian, who passed away March 27(Lowery) and July 17, 2020, respectively.
Former President Barack Obama will deliver the eulogy at Congressman Lewis’ eulogy at the service.
Bounce (@bouncetv) is the first and only multi-platform entertainment network targeting African Americans, with programming seen over-the-air, on cable, on DISH channel 359, over-the-top on Roku®, on mobile devices via the Bounce and Brown Sugar apps and on the web via BounceTV.com.
Check your local cable guide for channel information.
This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow Nsenga on Twitter @Ntellectual.
Congressman John Lewis Dies. Photo: Flickr/Jacobs Center For Neighborhood Innovation
Congressman John Lewis Dies. Photo: Flickr/Jacobs Center For Neighborhood Innovation
On the heels of the death of civil rights lion Rev. C.T. Vivian, civil rights giant Congressman John Lewis has died after battling pancreatic cancer. Lewis’ death has been confirmed by friend and civil rights legend Ambassador Andrew Young.
Lewis, the subject of celebrated documentary filmmaker Dawn Porter’s film Good Trouble, dedicated his life to public service as a civil rights activist, leader and congressperson, representing Georgia’s 5th Congressional District.
Congressman John Lewis is known and revered worldwide for his social justice activism as a young man during the modern Civil Rights movement which sparked large scale civic and social change in America. Many have seen the horrible 1965 footage and photos of Lewis being clubbed in the head while attempting to march from Selma, AL to Montgomery, AL arriving at the Edmund Pettus Bridge to 150 police officers waiting to deliver violence and intimidation to the protesters marching for voting rights for Black Americans.
Then Alabama Governor George Wallace had outlawed protests and marchers, who were raising awareness about the plight of Black Americans, who had been made to pay poll taxes, take literacy tests or flatly denied their right to vote by intimidation and the threat of violence at the ballot box. At that particular time, Black Americans made up 57 percent of the population of Dallas County, which is where Selma is located, yet and still only 2 percent of Black Americans were registered to vote.
On what would be called Bloody Sunday, Lewis, who at the time was Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) along with other civil rights lions like Reverend Hosea Williams (SCLC) continued on their march despite then Governor Wallace’s threats and were attacked by the police, sending 58 people to the hospital.
The Troy, AL native, who suffered a skull fracture during the attack, left the hospital the following week to testify before Congress about what had happened to the protesters, resulting in the passage of the Voting Rights Act by Congress which was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, giving Black Americans the right to vote and offering protections (National Guard) to marchers in pursuit of justice at the ballot box.
Congressman Lewis, who was arrested 40 times, five of those times since being a member of Congress while fighting for social justice, dedicated his entire life to racial progress. In 2011, Congressman Lewis received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. Congressman Lewis was serving his 17th term as a Congressman prior to his death.
The freedom fighter was preceded in death by his wife of 44 years Lillian Miles in 2012. He is survived by one son John-Miles Lewis and sisters Ethel, Rosa and Ora. John Lewis was 80.
This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow Nsenga on Twitter @Ntellectual.
During PBS’ AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “Freedom Riders” session at the TCA Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, CA on Sunday, January 9, 2011, producer and director Stanley Nelson
Photo: Flickr/PBS Press Room
During PBS’ AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “Freedom Riders” session at the TCA Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, CA on Sunday, January 9, 2011. Photo: Flickr/PBS Press Room
The world is mourning the loss of two civil rights giants, Reverend C.T. Vivian and Congressman John Lewis.
Reverend C.T. Vivian, a Presidential Medal of Freedom winner, was a leader in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Field General has died. A leader of the Civil Rights movement, Vivian was a Baptist minister and a member of Dr. King’s inner circle of advisers.
As a student at the American Baptist College in Nashville, he studied under Rev. James Lawson, learning Ghandi’s philosophy of non-violence and working alongside Diane Nash, John Lewis, James Bevel and Bernard Lafayette to organize a strategic, sit-in campaign in 1960. Like many civil rights protesters, he was beaten and jailed on multiple occasions including the Freedom Rides to Mississippi.
Vivian helped found the Nashville Christian Leadership Conference, and organize Tennessee’s contingent for the 1963 March on Washington. In 1962, C.T. Vivian created and directed the Vision program to help educate 700 students from Alabama with scholarships and additional training. That educational program would evolve into the Upward Bound program.
From 1963 to 1966, Rev. Vivian was the national director of nearly 85 affiliates of the S.C.L.C. from 1963 to 1966, directing protest activities and training in nonviolence as well as coordinating voter registration and community development projects.
In 1970, he published a book entitled, Black Power and the American Myth, becoming the first person in Dr. King’s inner circle to write a book about the civil rights movement and the inner workings of the group.
Twice married, Reverend Vivian spent the next 50 years of his life as a civil rights activist and educator including directing the Urban Training Center for Christian Mission in Chicago and as dean of the Shaw University Divinity School in Raleigh, N.C
Rev. Vivian founded the Black Action Strategies and Information Center in Atlanta to foster workplace race relations, and was a founder of the National Anti-Klan Network, which later became the Center for Democratic Renewal. The organization monitored hate groups. A living legend, Rev. Vivian served as Deputy Director of Clergy for Rev. Jesse Jackson’s 1984 historic run for President of the United States, appeared in the seminal civil rights docu-series Eyes on the Prize and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2013.
Rev. Vivian is survived by his daughters Kira Vivian, Denise Morse, Jo Anna Walker and Anita Charisse Thornton, two sons, Mark Evans Vivian and Albert Louis Vivian, nine grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; 28 great-great-grandchildren; and two great-great-great-grandchildren. Vivian’s son Cordy, preceded him in death in 2010 along with his wife Octavia Geans, who died in 2013.
Rev. Vivian was 95.
This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow Nsenga on Twitter @Ntellectual.
The BBC is reporting Zindziswa “Zindzi” Mandela, South African Ambassador to Denmark who was slated to become South Africa’s Head of Mission in Monrovia, Liberia has died. Mandela is the youngest daughter of South Africa’s first Black president Nelson Mandela and anti-apartheid activist Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. The cause of death has not yet been released, but Mandela died at a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa.
In addition to being a stateswoman, Mandela was also an activist. In 1978, she wrote the book, Black as I Am, which featured a forward written by American civil rights icon Ambassador Andrew Young. The book was a collection of poems written by Mandela addressing her life as a Black woman living in an Apartheid state.
“Ms Mandela grew up at the height of the anti-apartheid struggle. With her father imprisoned on Robben Island, she endured years of harassment and intimidation by the apartheid regime, along with her sister Zenani, and her mother Winnie, says the BBC’s Vumani Mkhize.
Zindzi Mandela was the family member who read out Nelson Mandela’s rejection of then-president PW Botha’s offer for conditional release from prison at a public meeting in February 1985.”
Most recently, Mandela had been vocal about land reform in South Africa and faced a firestorm of controversy over “our land” Tweets calling for the return of land to Black South Africans. The Times (S.A.) is reporting Mandela died on the anniversary of the death of her older brother Thembekile, 24, who died in a car accident in Cape Town in 1969. She is survived by her husband Molapo Motlhajwa, four children Zoleka Mandela, Zondwa Mandela, Bambatha Mandela and Zwelabo Mandela-Hlongwane, two sisters Zenani Dlamini and Pumla Makaziwe (sister from another marriage). Zindziswa Mandela was 59.
National Newspaper Publishers Association, the nation’s oldest organization of Black publishers will convene today and tomorrow for their annual convention, which will be held virtually due to COVID-19. The theme of the 2020 conference is Trust, Hope & Resilience: Overcoming COVID-19.
Highlights of this year’s conference includes directly addressing the COVID-19 impact on the Black community with discussions featuring infectious disease experts and African American doctors on the front lines of COVID-19 treatment and research at the University of Virginia.
You will also hear from member publications on issues impacting the Black Press and the African American community, community partners, members of Congress and many more.
Panelists include rap legend/activist/media mogul Ice Cube, rap legend MC Lyte, Mississippi Link Publisher Jackie Hampton, Stacy Brown, Senior National Correspondent NNPA, San Diego Voice and Viewpoint Publisher Dr. John Warren, Dr. Kevin Williams, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for Pfizer Rare Disease (Pfizer Rare Disease), Darlene Goins, Senior Vice President, Head of Financial Health Philanthropy Wells Fargo Foundation, Jan-Michele Lemon-Kearney, Esq., President of Sesh Communications, Publisher of The Cincinnati Herald, The Northern Kentucky Herald, The Dayton Defender,seshPRIME Magazine and PIX (News in Pictures) and Colin Topper Carew, founder of the Techquity Research Group and faculty fellow at the Innovation Lab at Spelman College and MIT Lab.
NNPA will also celebrate its 80th anniversary and award those who have greatly impacted the African American community. Honored guests include Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, rap icon/activist Chuck D, music legend Mary Wilson, attorney and social justice advocate Benjamin Crump and global music icon Ziggy Marley.
This year’s conference will also be celebrating 80 years of the NNPA and 193 years of the Black Press. Learn more about the Black Press below:
NNPA is a trade association of the more than 200 African American-owned community newspapers from around the United States. Since its founding 80 years ago, NNPA has consistently been the voice of the black community and an incubator for news that makes history and impacts the world. As the largest and most influential Black-owned media resource in America, NNPA delivers news, information, and commentary to over 20 million people each week.
Karen Carter Richards, publisher of the Houston Times, is Chairwoman of the NNPA Board. Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jr. serves as NNPA President and CEO.
For more information and to register for the conference which is free, visit https://virtualnnpa2020.com/ or click here.
This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, founder & editor of The Burton Wire, an NNPA digital member publication. Dr. Burton also serves as Culture and Entertainment Editor for NNPA/BlackPressUSA and hosts their livestream series featuring HBCU Presidents.
The History of White People Still from episode 1. (Courtesy of the World Channel)
The History of White People Still from episode 1. (Courtesy of the World Channel)
As Americans recover from celebrating Fourth of July weekend, the World Channel is debuting The History of White People in America, an animated series exploring how race became king in America and shaped the country’s history.
Featuring musical and spoken-word narration, The History of White People in America examines key moments and figures in U.S. history including a workers’ rebellion in Jamestown, the development of the Slave Codes of Virginia and the complicated truths of the relationship between Sally Hemmings and Thomas Jefferson. Each episode presents pivotal moments creating “Whiteness” in America and examines new ideas of race and power that still reverberate today. Check out the trailer below:
The first episode of the series begins streaming on the WORLD YouTube Channel at 3 p.m. ET on Monday, July 6. Episodes two and three will debut at 3 p.m. on July 7 and 8. WORLD Channel is a public television channel dedicated to bringing viewers documentaries and fact-based programming about diversity in the nation and around the world.
This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow Nsenga on Twitter @Ntellectual.
Actress, producer, activist Erika Alexander.
(Photo: Google Images)
Actress, producer, activist Erika Alexander. (Photo: Google Images)
Erika Alexander is probably best remembered as attorney-at-law Maxine Shaw from the 1990s classic television series, “Living Single” (Fox) and as cousin Pam on the groundbreaking sitcom, “The Cosby Show” (NBC). The beloved actress has gone on to star in a number of television shows including “Bosch” (Showtime), “Black Lightening” (CW) , “Wu-Tang: An American Saga” (HULU) and Last Man Standing (ABC/Fox). Alexander, who is widely known as an actress is starring in one of her greatest roles to date as producer of the highly anticipated documentary film Good Trouble, which explores the life of revered civil rights giant John Lewis.
Alexander is no stranger to politics having campaigned for Rep. Ayanna Pressley and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. In fact, Alexander, who refers to herself as a “Clintonista,” was a Hillary Clinton surrogate and has attended a number of Democratic National Conventions. Alexander happened upon the role of producer of this film in what can only be called kismet.
“I went to an all-girls high school in Philly. We were always told we should find mentors. She [Hillary] is a Scorpio like me and I was very curious about her life in politics,” says the activist, who says her greatest influences are her parents. “My father was a preacher and my mother was a teacher. My whole life I’ve been in and around politics. To be asked to be in and around it as a surrogate and I would have the opportunity to use my skill set as a communicator? I was more than blown away,” offers Alexander who became a surrogate in 2007-2008.
Moving in those political circles, it is not surprising that Alexander would end up spending time with storied civil rights legend and politician Rep. John Lewis (GA) while campaigning for Abrams and Pressley. “The Congressman took great care of us. We of course knew we were traveling with an icon,” says Alexander who had been humbled by Lewis’ autobiography, Walking With the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement.
“The part about the Freedom Riders really stuck with me,” Alexander says quietly. “I think if those students can be spit on, beat and beat by real rocks and real bats and shot with real guns and go to real jail with real blood, I have no problem with speaking up, which is exactly what John Lewis did” she says.
Alexander who calls her mother her “greatest hero” for teaching her to advocate for women and children, understood she was in the company of greatness and spending time with a courageous man who continues fighting to this day. “Spending time with him, it was clear I had more to learn. What he did with his life – that is the definition of good trouble. It is my pleasure to be next to him. I’m trying to do what he taught me to do,” she adds.
What he taught her to do is to utilize her resources, energy and platform to create change. In a Tweet heard around the world, Alexander challenged David Schwimmer on his erasure of “Living Single“ while calling for a multicultural cast of the classic television show “Friends.” Alexander gently reminded him of “Living Single,” a sitcom set in New York with a group of friends living and loving in a Brooklyn brownstone which pre-dated the wildly popular “Friends” and many believe is the blueprint for what would become the “Friends” juggernaut.
Alexander says she didn’t mean to cause a Twitterstorm; she merely was stating the obvious as she sat on a tarmac chatting with her business partner Ben Arnon. “I knew that David was trying to be an ally, so I didn’t intend to be disrespectful, “ says the activist. When she arrived at her destination, Alexander realized the Tweet had gone viral and the rest is pop cultural history. “When the plane landed, the Twitter warriors went to work so I was inside of a river that was already flowing. I was surprised and a little taken aback to see the vehemence and passion it created in people,” prompting her to write the famous op-ed for Zora, explaining her intentions and position on the matter.
If Alexander didn’t know then, she now knows the power of her voice on social media platforms and how words can be used to create change, willingly or unwillingly.
Alexander recently started Color Farm Media with her business partner Ben Arnon. Arnon, a media and tech entrepreneur, was an organizer for then Sen. Barack Obama. Arnon and Alexander met at the 2008 DNC Convention as delegates for their respective candidates.
Ben Arnon and Erika Alexander, partners in Color Farm Media Company. (Photo: Emory University)
In the words of Alexander, one could say the planets aligned, leading Arnon and Alexander to one another in order to create a company that develops and produces “premium-quality” scripted and unscripted content for motion pictures, television, streaming and podcast platforms. The planets aligned once again when a fellow Clintonista introduced Alexander to documentary filmmaker Dawn Porter. “Speaking with Dawn about this project, I thought our planets aligned to create this documentary Good Trouble,” says the activist. Porter, whose documentaries (Gideon’s Army, Trapped, Spies of Mississippi) brilliantly explore social justice issues coupled with Alexander and Arnon, who have been intricately involved in politics, and telling the story of civil rights legend John Lewis is the stuff that dreams are made of. Alexander understands the power and significance of what is happening.
The actress/activist knows she stands on the shoulders of other performers like Harry Belafonte, Paul Robeson and Josephine Baker who played integral off-screen roles in the pursuit of social justice as activists. “I’m doing exactly what all of these people before me. I don’t know anyone that didn’t put their careers on the line. I feel like I’m exactly where I should be and need to be,” says Alexander matter-of-factly. Alexander and company understand the importance and necessity of getting into good trouble in order to create a better world for everyone and hope after watching this documentary, audiences will too.
John Lewis: Good Trouble debuts Friday, July 3, 2020 on ON DEMAND. Check with your cable carrier. Watch or pre-order at HBCU Heroes.
This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow on Twitter @Ntellectual or @TheBurtonWire.
Mari and Cheyenne, forced to flee their native Angola because they are a lesbian couple. (Photo: YouTube)
Mari and Cheyenne, forced to flee their native Angola because they are a lesbian couple. (Photo: YouTube)
The WORLD Channel series DocWORLD will premiere the film Unsettled: Seeking Refuge in America from filmmaker Tom Shepard Sunday, June 28 at 10pm ET/7pm PT.
Following four young members of the LGBTQ community, Unsettled takes viewers into the lives and struggles of asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East who are fleeing persecution, death threats and more in their homelands but often find new types of hardships as they arrive in San Francisco and attempt to start new lives.
Check out the trailer below:
Unsettled premieres on Sunday, June 28 at 10pm ET/7pm PT on WORLD Channel and worldchannel.org.
This post is curated by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow Nsenga on Twitter @Ntellectual.
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