Month: December 2019

Shadow And Act has compiled our list of the 2010s’ Top 60 films from Black filmmakers and/or featuring Black talent.

Here’s the top 10. Full List here.

10. Us

A family’s serene beach vacation turns to chaos when their doppelgängers appear and begin to terrorize them.

9. Pariah

A Brooklyn teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.

8. Just Mercy

Just Mercy shadows world-renowned civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson as he recounts his experiences and details the case of a condemned death row prisoner whom he fought to free.

7. If Beale Street Could Talk 

A young woman embraces her pregnancy while she and her family set out to prove her childhood friend and lover innocent of a crime he didn’t commit.

6. Get Out

A young African-American visits his white girlfriend’s parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point.

5. 13th 

An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation’s history of racial inequality.

4. Black Panther

T’Challa, heir to the hidden but advanced kingdom of Wakanda, must step forward to lead his people into a new future and must confront a challenger from his country’s past.

3. Fruitvale Station

The story of Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008.

2. Selma

A chronicle of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.

1. Moonlight

A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.

By Tonja Renée Stidhum

Remember when it seemed like the 1990s was the Black Hollywood Renaissance? We had epic dramas, comedies and beyond in film and television. Hell, y’all remember UPN?!

Well, the 2010s seemed to be a taste of what we thirsted for all of these years. 

In an article from this summer, the New York Times spoke with several iconic black directors to discuss what was described as “a wave of young black talent that surged 30 years ago this month—beginning with the success of Do the Right Thing in July 1989—only to come crashing down as Hollywood in the 1990s and 2000s reconstituted itself around films with white directors and white casts.”

In fact, NYT ran a whole feature titled “In Hollywood: Black Is In,” in 1990. But, similar to when The Academy decides to “grace” us with a bounty of awards (if “bounty” meant more than 1 every year or so), showcasing a variety of black narratives in media is treated as a fickle trend. 

As such, the 2010s is a decade to be celebrated. From Pariah to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, from Empire to Queen Sugar, you couldn’t look at your silver screens or small screens without seeing a dominance of black narratives. 

Of course, we still have a lot of work to do; our culture is so rich, we have only begun to scratch the surface of documenting black narratives (in mainstream that is, there are plenty of black-led stories in film and digital television with less marketing and distribution privilege, but that’s a blog for another day). 

Oh, and before I end this, yes I know I left off a few great projects from this video, but that just means we had more dope content than our production schedule allowed. That’s a good thing. Plus, I needed some water from all of that talking. 

Cheers to another decade of authentic blackness on screen.

Original article was published here.

Respect will follow Franklin’s rise to superstardom, from her childhood singing gospel in her father’s Baptist church to her emergence as one of the most influential artists in music.

“Respect is the remarkable true story of the music icon’s journey to find her voice,” a description of the film noted.

BY MORGAN GSTALTER,

A photo of 15 black Tulane University medical students standing in front of historical slave quarters at a Louisiana plantation went viral on social media with the message: “We are our ancestors’ wildest dreams.”

The images taken by Abedoyin Johnson were posted to Twitter last week, showing the medical students standing at Whitney Plantation with their hands in the pockets of their white coats.

The images went viral, earning thousands of likes on Instagram and Twitter.

“In the background, an original slave quarter. In the foreground, original descendants of slaves and medical students. #whatatimetobealive#yeahwecandoboth.

We are our ancestors’ wildest dreams.✨

In the background, an original slave quarter.
In the foreground, original descendants of slaves and medical students. #whatatimetobealive #yeahwecandoboth pic.twitter.com/INOUMmc1cx

— Russell Joseph Ledet, Ph.D. (@theguywithyes) December 14, 2019

Standing in front of the slave quarters of our ancestors, at The Whitney Plantation, with my medical school classmates. We are truly our ancestors’ wildest dreams ✨✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/d8E1g2Ojbm

— Syd✨ (@_botttt) December 14, 2019

The 15 students in the photo are members of the Tulane chapter of the Student National Medical Association, a student-run organization that supports black medical students.

Russell Ledet, a 33-year-old second-year medical student at Tulane, told NPR that he organized a trip to the plantation in Edgard, La., which says it’s “the only plantation museum in Louisiana with an exclusive focus on the lives of enslaved people”

“I could just imagine our ancestors in heaven looking at us and being so happy,” he said. “They’re saying, ‘Look at them. They’re doing so well. Their resiliency is shining.'”

Ledet said he never saw a minority physician growing up.

“We are aware of our position and what we mean to a whole lot of children,” he said. “A whole lot of undergrads are hoping and praying to get an interview for medical school, or even somebody to just look at their application. We’re here as living proof that it’s possible. If we can do it, anybody can do it.”

Medical school is “grueling,” but Ledet said that he can look at the photo for motivation while studying for a neurology exam. 

“I hope this image will be posted in somebody’s classroom and some teacher will be able to say, ‘Every last one of those people up there is a practicing physician,’ ” he told the outlet.

Sydney Labat, another Tulane med student in the photo, told the outlet that the image represents “resiliency.”

She said the group wanted to look “determined” and “strong” in the photographs, “embodying the strength of the people who lived on those grounds.”

“If I had seen this photo when I was younger, it would have been validation that the people telling me that I couldn’t be an orthopedic surgeon — that I should have a Plan B, but they didn’t say that to my white classmates — that they can’t hinder me in any way,” Labat said.

Original article was published here.

Leon Howard, a New Orleans native, has a dark past that unfortunately led him to imprisonment at the early age of 16. Behind bars, he realized it was not the life he wanted and so he decided to change his life. He studied the stock market by himself, and now he is a successful investor, entrepreneur, and investing coach. He teaches one-on-one courses about investing through a movement he has created called From The Trap to Wall Street.

Growing up, Howard has seen a lot of chaos in his hometown of New Orleans. The worst was when he witnessed his mother being shot when he was 9-years old. Since then, Howard frequently found himself breaking the law. At the age of 16, he was charged with attempted murder and armed robbery and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.

While in prison, however, Howard met a fellow prisoner who had been imprisoned for embezzlement. At some point, they got into a conversation about how wealthy people earn their wealth. That’s when the stock market caught his attention and he earnestly taught himself about it.

After he was released from prison, Howard got a job as an ironworker. He allotted 70% of his salary for his investment. It eventually grew bigger as he continuously planned his next moves. Now, he is a fulltime investor and entrepreneur and he teaches others how to achieve the financial freedom he attained.

Howard started From The Trap To Wall Street with the aim to show people that they can get away from the trap, which he defined as “a state or condition of a people being financially trapped, unable to find the path to financial freedom no matter how many jobs or side hustles worked.”

Howard delivers talks and offers one-on-one courses that help people understand how to get started on Wall Street, which he describes as “a place where wealth is the norm.”

For more information, visit www.wallstreettrapping.com or follow Leon Howard on Instagram @wall_street_trapper

Original article was published here.

More than just a tennis champion, Serena Williams has always been a champion for a cause. Through the Serena Williams Fund, new schools are being built in Jamaica and in various countries on the African continent.

Williams, who has a total of 39 Grand Slam titles under her belt, recently built the Marsh Elementary School in Jamaica in conjunction with the nonprofit Helping Hands Jamaica. Schools on the African continent were also built in partnership with Build Africa.

Prior to that, Williams already established grade schools in other African countries including Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Kenya.

Those efforts were part of Williams’ mission through her own non-profit organization called Serena Williams Fund “to promote equity; through education, gender, race, disability, or anything else that stands in the way of someone achieving their goals and living their best possible life.”

“The mission of this charity is to help the individuals or communities affected by to violence, and [to ensure] equal access to education,” Williams said in a statement.

According to Borgen Magazine, the sports superstar “has done extraordinary tasks using her own resources and through partnerships with the Serena Williams Fund and other foundations dedicated to providing and improving education for those in difficult conditions or developing countries. Her active role has notably left a mark on those who have had their lives changed significantly through this act of kindness.”

Williams, who is named as a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador, also founded Serena Ventures which aims to invest in early-stage companies to give them wider opportunities to grow.

Original article was published here.

At just 18-years old, Brittany Reaves graduated not from high school, but from college! She received her Bachelor’s degree in History at Fayetteville State University and graduated Magna Cum Laude. Now, she is enrolled in law school at North Carolina Central University School of Law.

After 4 years, Reaves completed the required 85 credits at the Cumberland International Early College High School. In 2018, she completed the remaining credits within just 1 year allowing her to finish college in 2019.

Reaves credits her accomplishments to the “great people who gave me great opportunities,” she told ABC 11.

Her mother said that her daughter wasn’t entirely genius, but she was gifted. She said, “Brittany has been a learner from day one.”

At the age of 3, Brittany learned to read with the help of her mother. When she was in high school, she also mastered the Chinese language and some musical instruments.

Ever unstoppable, Brittany is also about to start Law School at North Carolina Central with hopes to someday become a Juris Doctor.

“Going into civil litigation right now just because it’s a field that deals with education and consumer protection. Landlord-tenant-those types of cases deal with people and laws have a lot to do with people,” said Reaves.

Despite all her success at a young age, Reaves is showing humility.

“Booksmarts I do have but I am 18, I don’t know everything.”

Original article was published here.

By Jay Connor,

On Jan. 24, 2017, our lives were forever changed with the auspicious debut of BET’s The New Edition Story. Looking to perhaps recapture that magic—or at least those ratings—BET announced that it will be blessing us all with Uptown, which will revisit the trials, triumphs, and tribulations of the early ’90s phenomenon known as Uptown Records. 

From their press release:

The three-part television event will tell the comprehensive story of Andre Harrell’s iconic New York City record label, Uptown Records. Launched in 1986, following a joint venture deal with MCA, Andre Harrell’s Uptown Records played a vital role in the careers of some of the most influential voices in hip hop, soul and R&B, including Heavy D & The Boyz, Russell Simmons, Lyor Cohen, Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, Father MC, Al B. Sure, Christopher Williams, Teddy Riley, Notorious B.I.G., Sean “Diddy” Combs and many more. Each gripping episode will take viewers from the label’s inception to current day, featuring the music and powerhouse hit-makers that helped mold what would come to be known as the Uptown ‘sound’ and define a musical era that would impact generations to come.

Uptown is executive produced by Jesse Collins (The New Edition Story, The Bobby Brown Story), Andre Harrell (Honey, New York Undercover), and Connie Orlando (Tales, Black Girls Rock) for BET.

As the precursor to Diddy’s Bad Boy Records empire, this dose of nostalgia is long overdue.

Uptown is set to premiere on BET in 2020.

Original article was published here.

By Monique Jones,

Mo’Nique is proving she can carve out her own path in Hollywood by landing a new role in an upcoming independent film.

According to Variety, the actress/comedienne is set to star in Mother Trucker, an indie film written by former HBO executive producer, J. Oyer Tomas. This will also be Tomas’ directorial debut. The film is set in the 1970s during the impeachment hearings of President Nixon. Mo’Nique’s character sounds quite complex. According to the description, she will play a mom with anger management issues who is forced to steal her dead husband’s trucking haul to take care of her daughter. Throughout their journey, she discovers the reason behind her husband’s death and seeks vengeance on the racist murderers who took his life.

Mo’Nique invoked the name of the film that earned her an Oscar, Precious, when talking about this film.

“I knew this was unique from the jump, because of the countless scripts we’ve read together the only other time my husband said ‘this is special’ was for a little movie named Precious,” she said.

This high praise for the film is certain to pique additional interest.

Original article was published here.

By Wilson Morales

Amazon Studios and Entertainment One(eOne) are currently in production on the Untitled Mary J. Blige documentary directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Vanessa Roth. Blige will serve as an executive producer under her Blue Butterfly banner alongside Tara Long of eOne, Mark Ford and Kevin Lopez of Creature Films, with Sean Combs, and Ashaunna Ayars, Nicole Jackson of Blue Butterfly.

Twenty-five years ago, Mary J. Blige released her seminal album “My Life”. At the time, she was dealing with many personal struggles that she was able to channel into an emotional masterpiece that is uniquely beloved and universally celebrated. Now, Mary J. Blige is revisiting this music and reflecting on the woman she was then… and the woman she has become.

The film provides a personal and never before seen look into the emotional journey of Mary J. Blige’s past struggles with poverty, abuse, addiction and heartbreak. This raw and honest film follows the music legend as she heads out on a special concert tour to perform her sophomore album, “My Life”, for the first time ever as it approaches its 25-year anniversary. This album and its songs directly correspond to the love, motivation, passion, and healing that Mary J. Blige was experiencing then and has continued to experience through her life as an artist and human being.

Matt Newman, Co-Head of Movies at Amazon Studios said, “We all know Mary J. Blige as the two-time Oscar nominee, Grammy Award winning, multi-hyphenate who has sold over 80 million records. But through this documentary, audiences will see a raw and honest side of Mary J. Blige opening up about her personal journey of redemption and healing. We are thrilled to share with our worldwide Prime Video customers this exclusive, never-before-seen, inside look into the global legend, Mary J. Blige.”

Matt Newman, Co-Head of Movies at Amazon Studios said, “We all know Mary J. Blige as the two-time Oscar nominee, Grammy Award winning, multi-hyphenate who has sold over 80 million records. But through this documentary, audiences will see a raw and honest side of Mary J. Blige opening up about her personal journey of redemption and healing. We are thrilled to share with our worldwide Prime Video customers this exclusive, never-before-seen, inside look into the global legend, Mary J. Blige.”

Mary J. Blige has won 9 Grammy Awards®, 4 American Music Awards®, 12 Billboard Music Awards and a two-time Oscar®-Nominee for Best Supporting Actress & Best Original Song (Mudbound), becoming the first person ever nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year. Her second album “My Life” is ranked as one of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time & Time Magazine’s All-Time 100 Albums. Billboard ranked her as the most successful R&B/Hip-Hop artist of the past 25 years, with over 4 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

Blige is repped by APA, The Lede Company and Granderson Des Rochers LLP.

Original article was published here.