Feminist Curious
A Feminist Theatre Makers publication
In this issue:
Featured Feminist
Crash Course on Intersectionality
Actor, Ally, or Accomplice?
7 Pieces of Media to Consume About the Black Experience
Rory's Review Corner
Featured Feminist:
Mary Hill posted this on her Instagram (@mary_mariee) on June 3rd, the day after Blackout Tuesday. Many people have spoken out over social media about the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement and the recent protests nationwide. As a young, Black theater maker, Mary had something to say.
Follow her on TikTok and Instagram
@mary_mariee
Crash Course on Intersectionality:
Hear Kimberlé Crenshaw describe it in her own words:
"Take immigration for example. Not traditionally seen as a women's issue, but immigrant women who are undocumented have a whole range of risks and vulnerabilities associated with being a woman who is undocumented."
Actor, Ally, or Accomplice?
By Rachel Post
Ally: a person who supports a group or individual in their efforts. Accomplice: a person who aids in committing a crime. From these basic definitions, one would not think that an Accomplice would be the teammate you need to take down the big boss. However, when we speak in terms of racial justice, the word Ally has historically held people to a lower standard of responsibility, creating a passive system of non-Black supporters. When it comes to protests and demonstrations, activists need Accomplices. They need people to get down and dirty, to stand on the front line and be an accessory to whatever duty is necessary, not stand back and feign support. Case and point, Accomplices are more useful when it comes to the tough part. This is not to say that Allyship, and the work that Allies do to listen and educate is not important to the cause.
Take, for example, the current protests nationwide. For the last few weeks, we have been bombarded by images of protestors and cops. Some of these images include non-Black people of color as well as white individuals using their privilege to protect the black protestors who are realistically at a higher risk of violence. If you have seen a video of a white protestor protecting a black protestor with their whole body, you have seen an Accomplice in action. If you have seen a non-black politician fight to dismantle racist regulations at a federal level, you have seen an Accomplice in action. If you have seen a non-black individual with a petition to improve conditions in a neighborhood that has been systematically disadvantaged because of its black population, you have seen an Accomplice in action. On the other hand, if you have seen a celebrity use their influence to raise awareness for a cause like Black Lives Matter, or a friend on social media share resources to assist the cause, or if you are reading this article right now, you have seen Allyship in action. The truly wonderful thing about these two terms, however, is that they complement each other. After all, without the Allies doing the work of educating youth, promoting helpful resources, pointing out when things are unjust, and standing up for their Black brothers and sisters, we wouldn’t have Accomplices willing to jump into the trench and risk their lives for change.
However, the reason why Accomplices are sometimes valued more than Allies is because there is less accountability as an Ally than as an Accomplice. More and more we have begun to see individuals attempting to profit off of the popularity of the Black Lives Matter movement and the idea of Allyship. It seems as if, when issues of black oppression come to the forefront of the political zeitgeist, there will always be those who, instead of truly trying to dismantle the oppressive structures in place, would prefer to garner views on social media as they talk about their white guilt and talk less about the issues than they do their own feelings. These people are sometimes called Actors. Instead of actually fighting for change, they capitalize off of the hysteria in an attempt to come off more magnanimous. These are the types of people you see posting pictures from their trip to Africa with malnourished orphans, acting as if this is what makes one progressive, or as if this wins them “brownie points” with their Ally or Accomplice peers.
In comparison with the ineffectual nature of an Actor's efforts, the jobs that Allies and Accomplices do both become invaluable. Indeed, it seems the main distinction between these two terms is that an Accomplice approaches the situation as if they were fighting against their own oppression, whereas an Ally approaches the situation as a helper on the sidelines. In this current moment and every moment, it is up to you to decide whether you react as an Actor, and Ally, or an Accomplice.
Sources:
Seven Pieces of Media to Consume about the Black Experience
By Rory Smith
13TH -- documentary, dir. Ava DuVernay, available on Netflix.
This documentary explains clearly, succinctly, and artfully how we got here. DuVernay and the experts she interviews–including activist and professor Angela Davis, lawyer Bryan Stevenson, and writer Michelle Alexander, to name a few–outline the timeline of systemic racism in America after the Civil War. In this documentary, you will learn the myriad ways that the prison industrial complex, mass incarceration, and over-policing/police brutality are linked, to each other and to this country’s racist track record.
2. When They See Us -- limited series, dir. Ava DuVernay, available on Netflix.
When They See Us is a dramatized recounting of the Exonerated Five and their wrongful conviction in the Central Park jogger case. This series illuminates the racial inequalities in our justice system, and reminds us that Donald Trump has been a racist since the early 1990s and before.
3. POSE (FX) -- TV series, dir. Janet Mock, Ryan Murphy, and others, seasons 1-2 available on Netflix.
POSE is an FX series chronicling the lives of trans and queer people of color in the New York City ballroom scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The characters experience racism, homophobia, transphobia from much of the mainstream culture, all while living under the shadow of the AIDS epidemic. However, while you will watch these characters struggle, you will also see them experience joy, love, and an overwhelming sense of celebration of this beautiful community.
4. Mudbound -- film, dir. Dee Rees, available on Netflix (TW: hate crimes, racial violence).
Mudbound, Black lesbian director Dee Rees’ third feature film, provides a truthful snapshot of the painful and unjust realities of the Jim Crow South by showing the starkly different post-war lives of two World War II veterans–Jamie, a white man, and Ronsel, a Black man, whose family are sharecroppers on Jamie’s bigoted father and brother’s farm. Mary J. Blige gives a stunning, Oscar-nominated supporting performance as Florence, Ronsel’s mother.
5. LEGACY! LEGACY! -- album by Jamila Woods, available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube.
Each song on this album is a beautifully crafted ode to one of Jamila Woods’ artistic inspirations, including Eartha Kitt, James Baldwin, Miles Davis, and many more. This masterpiece is created in dedication to and in expression of Black excellence. Woods will inspire you with her unique voice and poignant lyrics.
6. Just Mercy -- film, dir. Destin Daniel Cretton, free to rent this month on Amazon Prime
True story Just Mercy is based on Bryan Stevenson’s memoir of the same name, written about the founding of the Equal Justice Initiative and his work to help innocent people, and disproportionately Black men, facing the death penalty in Alabama. You will recognize his character, brilliantly acted by Michael B. Jordan, and even some of his direct words from his appearance in 13TH. Since Amazon is making this film free to rent this month, consider donating to the Equal Justice Initiative after viewing.
7. Moonlight -- film, dir. Barry Jenkins, available on Netflix.
Moonlight is a gently and beautifully told coming-of-age story about gay Black man Chiron growing up poor in Miami and his relationships with an abusive, drug-addicted mother and a kind, noble mentor in dealer Juan, played by Mahershala Ali.
Rory’s Review Corner: Tangerine (2015), dir. Sean Baker
By Rory Smith
Tangerine, through the lens of an iPhone 5, brings us immediately into a warm color palette and a warmer story that is ultimately about the friendship between two Black trans sex workers in Los Angeles. At the start of the film, Sin-Dee has just been released from jail after 28 days to hear that her pimp boyfriend has been cheating on her, so she takes her best friend Alexandra on a wild goose chase through the city on Christmas Eve, looking for answers. The result is revolutionary.
I will admit that when I saw that Tangerine was directed by Sean Baker, I was skeptical. I mean, I love his other work (i.e. The Florida Project, which I also recommend) but what could a cis, white dude possibly understand about Black trans sex workers? It turns out that Baker was doing what we all could be doing more of: listening. He didn’t have a plot when he agreed to do the movie, he simply knew he wanted to make a movie about two people who come together at Donut Time, a donut shop near his house in LA. It was near here that he “discovered” his leads: Mya Taylor and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez. They had friends who worked this neighborhood as sex workers, and Taylor told a story of one girl who found out her boyfriend was cheating on her with a cis girl––a “fish.” This real-life account formed the backbone of the film’s story.
The fact that these two women were acting on camera professionally for the first time also blows me away because they are both so captivating and so genuine with their performances. Unfortunately, these marginalized stories are so rarely told, and even when they are, it’s hard for them to get the recognition and representation they deserve. In 2015, the White House hosted screenings of The Danish Girl and Transparent. Mya Taylor was invited to the screening but not invited to speak on a panel about trans representation in media, despite being an actual trans person in Hollywood, and despite there being an unused chair next to the rest of the panel speakers, which were comprised of white cis and trans creatives. I think it is worth noting that the aforementioned movie and TV show feature white, already famous, cis male leads playing trans characters (Eddie Redmayne and Jeffrey Tambor). With all due respect to those talented actors, there is no excuse for cis actors to be playing trans characters when there are equally talented trans actors waiting for a shot to tell their own stories. Yes, I have enjoyed films such as Dallas Buyers Club, but I also recognize that it can be deeply problematic and offensive for Jared Leto and other cis men to play trans women, when trans women are not given an opportunity to tell the few stories that do feature them. While this event took place in 2015, Hollywood and the American culture at large hasn’t made a deeply concerted effort to give voice to more stories about trans women of color since then. Of course, the incomparable Laverne Cox is a well-known Black trans actress, who received recognition for her performance on Orange is the New Black, but she should not have to serve as the only famous voice of representation for this community. After all, it is a community that needs its story told.
In 2019, at least 26 transgender or gender non-conforming people were violently murdered in the US; nineteen of these victims were Black. Our nation’s leader is systemically ignoring and dehumanizing these people, from the trans military ban to his ignorant and violent responses to the Black Lives Matter protests. We certainly have made progress as a society in recent years, but this progress has been met with backlash, and this backlash has harmed the trans community, specifically Black trans women. Black trans lives matter and their stories matter as well. We need producers, directors, writers, and studio heads who are not afraid to tell them, and we need BIPOC, queer, and trans creatives to be given storytelling opportunities at every level, not just as actors.
For me, Tangerine represents more of what I want to see in Hollywood: a tale told with humor and empathy that doesn’t shy away from the gritty and often dangerous realities of being a sex worker, being trans, and being Black in America. It’s on all of us to make sure that these stories are heard, respected, and valued with the dignity they deserve.
You can stream Tangerine on Hulu or rent it where you rent your movies.
Sources:
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