Jake and Jazz Smollett Bring Modern Style to Home Renovations and Interior Design
Arts & Entertainment
The Africa Channel is Now Available to Millions More Xfinity TV Customers
Expansion Furthers Ongoing Commitment from Comcast to Increase Access to Best-in-Class Black Programming
More viewers than ever before will be able to catch TAC’s newest slate of programming including:
- World Wide Nate – This destination adventure series follows larger-than-life Chicago native Nate Fluellen, who fears nothing as he explores Africa’s abundance of death-defying thrills. Nate proves to be an excellent example for other intrepid African Americans seeking adventure and a connection to the continent that created today’s African American population’s robust ancestors. Airs weeknights at 9:00pm Eastern.
- Amah Knows Best – This show is driven by platinum-selling South African rapper; iFani, who travels to China to learn how to cook from Chinese grandmothers. The adventure is also a cultural learning experience, not just for iFani but also for the Chinese people who unquestioningly embrace their unique visitor. Airs weeknights at 9:30pm Eastern.
- Lockdown – Viewers experience a different kind of “lockdown” in this new prison drama. Set in a fictional high security female prison, the stories of these inmates reveal the paths which landed them behind bars. The gritty prison drama features an all-female cast with African American actress Tichina Arnold (Everybody Hates Chris) joining the line-up in Season 3. Airs Wednesdays at 10:00pm Eastern.
Please visit www.theafricachannel.com for more information on how to watch TAC and follow TAC on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About The Africa Channel www.theafricachannel.
About Comcast Corporation
Motown releasing hip-hop album to mark 100th anniversary of Tulsa race massacre
By Michael “Ice-Blue” Harris
Motown Records is releasing a compilation hip-hop album called Fire in Little Africacommemorating the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa, Oklahoma, race massacre in 1921.
The 21-track collection gets to the truth of what happened in 1921 from May 31 to June 1 when a White mob descended on the streets of Greenwood — then a prosperous Tulsa neighborhood known as Black Wall Street — and burned down the business district. The massacre destroyed roughly 1,500 homes, killing hundreds and leaving thousands of Black Tulsans homeless.
Fire in Little Africa, an album of original material, written and recorded by a collective of Oklahoma hip-hop artists, will be released on May 28 by Motown Records/Black Forum in partnership with Tulsa’s Bob Dylan Center and Woody Guthrie Center.
“Fire in Little Africa is a powerful and timely project that provides a platform and outlet for the incredibly talented and thriving music community of Tulsa, Oklahoma. I am honored and feel privileged to have Motown Records/Black Forum partner with Dr. View, the Bob Dylan Center and Guthrie Center to release this impactful hip-hop album,” Motown Records Chairman and CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam said in a statement to The Associated Press.
The album was recorded in Greenwood over a five-day period in March 2020. Studios were set up at the Greenwood Cultural Center and other locations, including the former home of 1921 massacre mastermind and Ku Klux Klan leader Tate Brady. The house is now owned by former NFL first-round draft pick and Tulsa native Felix Jones.
“Fire in Little Africa has evolved into a communal hip-hop movement, and we’re excited that we get to share the flavor, history and legacy of Black Wall Street with the world, in collaboration with the amazing leadership of the Motown [and the] Black Forum family,” Stevie “Dr. View” Johnson, Ph.D., the manager of education and diversity outreach at the Woody Guthrie Center and Bob Dylan Center, told The AP.
“We’re grateful for Ethiopia’s foresight in providing us an opportunity to share our important stories with the world,” added Johnson, who also serves as an executive producer on the project. “There are Black Wall Streets across the diaspora, and we unequivocally know that Fire in Little Africa will inspire many people. In the words of Steph Simon, ‘everything is us.’ ”
Located in the Tulsa Arts District, the Woody Guthrie Center opened in 2013. The Bob Dylan Center is expected to open on the same block within the next year. Both are projects of the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the primary funder for Fire in Little Africa. The album is chronicled in a documentary film, which will be released later this year as well.
The post Motown releasing hip-hop album to mark 100th anniversary of Tulsa race massacre appeared first on Rolling Out.
Black Sheep: A Blue-Eyed Negro Speaks of Abandonment, Belonging, Racism, and Redemption
Biracial Boy Tells His Story of Abandonment, Belonging, Racism and Redemption in Captivating Memoir
With an afterword by My Haley, PhD, widow of Alex Haley, famed author of Roots and Malcom X
“I was fascinated by Black Sheep, its nuances, personal story of racism, colorism, and identity in America.”
—Joel Gotler, President of Intellectual Property Group and Producer of The Wolf of Wall Street
Boca Raton, FL, April 12, 2021 —The odds were stacked against Ray Studevent from day one. Born to a White, heroin-addicted mother and a Black, violently alcoholic father, his childhood in Washington, D.C., was a chaotic mix of substance abuse, death and neglect. Salvation came at age five when he was adopted into a loving, stable home by his father’s uncle Calvin and his wife, Lemell. But that is just the beginning of the story.
A suddenly widowed Lemell must raise Ray and her two daughters as a single mother in Chocolate City. Each time she looks into Ray’s blue eyes, she sees the Klansmen who tormented her family as she grew up in segregated Mississippi.
Black Sheep is an unforgettable story of Ray Studevent’s struggles as a mixed-race boy as he learns to fight the ghosts of his past to find trust and love. Ray is White on the outside and Black on the inside. Lemell does her best to keep him on the straight and narrow as he navigates the social minefield of living in the Blackest part of the Blackest city in America during a time of notorious racial tension.
As Ray learns the hard way, there are guidelines if you are Black, different rules if you are White, but only confusing messages for mixed-race children who must fight for acceptance as they struggle to find their identity—long into adulthood.
Black Sheep takes readers on an emotional journey and reveals universal truths through faith and great humor. It is a search for who we are, where we fit and who we can become. Imagine a book where The Notebook meets The Help.
About the Author
Ray “Ben” Studevent was a mixed-race child whose unique look led him to fight a racial identity crisis his entire life. Each time he entered a room, he had to decide whether it was better to be Black or White. His personal and career journeys ebbed and flowed, taking him to prison, fatherhood and gigs in comedy clubs, modeling and stock-market research. In all these varied experiences, he realized that race played a critical role. Visit his website at: raystudevent.com.
Black Sheep
Publisher: HCI Books
Release Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN-10: 0757323812
ISBN-13: 978-0757323812
Trade Paperback, 288 pages
Available for pre-order on Amazon.com
Milwaukee Rep Announces 2021/22 Season with New Dates and Programming
Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Announces New Dates and Programming for the 2021/22 Season including
Two World Premieres, a Tony Award-winning Musical,
Shakespeare and the Green Bay Packers
Milwaukee, Wis – April 7, 2021 – Artistic Director Mark Clements and Executive Director Chad Bauman are thrilled to welcome audiences back to Milwaukee Rep for the 2021/22 Season with 12 productions across four venues in the Patty & Jay Baker Theater Complex. To ensure vaccines have time to be fully distributed and work to their optimal level, the start of the 2021/22 Season will start October 29, 2021 and run through July 1, 2022.
The 2021/22 Season features:
– Two world premieres by Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith, Antonio’s Song / I Was Dreaming of a Son and New Age in the Stiemke Studio.
– Majestic, yet rarely produced Tony Award-winning musical Titanic The Musical in the Quadracci Powerhouse.
– Shakespeare and The Beatles collide in the International collaboration As You Like It adapted by Daryl Cloran.
– Dad’s Season Tickets, a new musical comedy for Green Bay Packer fanatics and the people who love them.
– Emmy-nominated performance of Judy Garland classics in Get Happy: Angela Ingersoll Sings Judy Garland.
– Return of Milwaukee’s Favorite Holiday Tradition – A Christmas Carol in the Historic Pabst Theater with Lee E. Ernst as Scrooge.
A full list of programming with dates is listed below.
“Thanks to the brilliance of science there is a bright spotlight at the end of this dark pandemic, and we cannot wait to welcome artists and audiences alike back to our theater in the fall,” said Artistic Director Mark Clements. “This season we are holding nothing back, and ready to produce at the highest artistic level after being dark for over a year. Soon we will be celebrating the end of the pandemic and the return to the shared experience and thrill of live theater that we have all missed so greatly.”
“It is no surprise that this pandemic has proven to be the most challenging time in Milwaukee Rep’s 68 year history, “ stated Executive Director Chad Bauman. “The more businesses that reopen safely in partnership with the vaccination rollout the closer we come to be able to fulfill our mission of igniting positive change in our community. We are buoyed by our committed and talented staff, artists and trustees whose hard work is the reason we are able to bounce back with such a robust season.”
The programming for the 2021/22 Season was originally announced for the 2020/21 Season, but was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the original announcement over 10,000 Subscribers renewed their season tickets and in doing so enabled Milwaukee Rep to keep the majority of staff and artists employed during the extended closure.
Milwaukee Rep remains fully committed to the safety of its artists, staff and patrons and will continue to follow recommendations from the CDC and local health officials throughout the 2021/22 Season. It will adjust operations as needed, which may include limiting tickets sold to allow for social distancing while prioritizing Subscribers.
Subscriptions to Milwaukee Rep’s 2021/22 Season are now on sale and range from $100-$577. Packages available are the Ultimate 11-play package, which includes the entire season spanning all three of Milwaukee Rep’s performance spaces; Quadracci Powerhouse/Stackner 9-play package; Quadracci Powerhouse/Stiemke Studio 7-play package; Quadracci Powerhouse 5-play package; Stackner Cabaret 4-Play package as well as a Create Your Own Season package and Flex Passes. Single Tickets will go on sale later in the summer. For additional information on Subscription offerings, please contact Milwaukee Rep’s Ticket Office at 414-224-9490 or visit www.MilwaukeeRep.com.
Milwaukee Repertory Theater
2021/22 Season
Programming, artists and dates are subject to change.
A New Musical Comedy Celebrating Family, Folly and Football
Dad’s Season Tickets
Book, Music and Lyrics by Matt Zembrowski
Directed by Ryan Quinn
October 29, 2021 – January 2, 2022
Stackner Cabaret
Direct from its sold-out engagement in Door County where it became the best-selling hit in Northern Sky Theater’s 28-year history, comes this new musical comedy for fanatics and the people who love them. Who will inherit Frank’s treasured season tickets at Lambeau Field? The Kosinski sisters employ every trick in the playbook, on the way to relearning that family isn’t everything – it’s the only thing. With songs like “When You Live in Green Bay” and “What Do You Do with a Bye Week,” this quintessential Wisconsin musical will warm your heart and leave you rooting for the home team!
A Tenderhearted Favorite
Steel Magnolias
By Robert Harling
Directed by Laura Braza
November 9 – December 5, 2021
Quadracci Powerhouse
In Chinquapin, Louisiana everybody who is anybody gets their hair done at Truvy’s beauty shop – where the women are all sass and brass. Through clouds of hairspray and over the buzz of blow dryers, six southern spitfires gather each week to gossip and support each other through thick and thin. But those bonds are tested when the ladies face a life-changing event. Infused with heart and humor, Steel Magnolias is a hilarious story of love, loss and enduring friendship.
A Trailblazing Spirit
Toni Stone
By Lydia R. Diamond
Directed by Tinashe Kajese-Bolden
January 4 – 30, 2022
Quadracci Powerhouse
Declared the Best New Play of 2019 by The Wall Street Journal, this sensational theatrical event knocks it out of the park with a high intensity glimpse into the world of the first woman to go pro in baseball’s Negro Leagues. Against all odds, Toni Stone blazes a path in the male-dominated sports world, shattering expectations and creating her own set of rules. Follow Toni’s journey as she fights for love, equality and a chance to do what she wants the most – play baseball. Filled with humor and the love of the game, this intimate and profoundly relevant portrait of America will have you cheering along.
From Bach to Broadway
World Premiere Event
Piano Men
January 7 – February 27, 2022
Stackner Cabaret
What happens when you put two pianos onstage, add two virtuoso piano players and throw in a limitless songbook that defies genre and decade? You get Piano Men! Equal parts concert and sing-along, this exhilarating and entertaining musical revue will have you clapping, laughing and calling out requests for your favorite songs. Inspired by the hard working piano players who play everywhere from bars to airports, hotel lobbies to grand concert halls, Piano Men will feature a unique set list from rock, pop, classical, Broadway and everything in-between and will leave you wanting to come back for more.
A John (Jack) D. Lewis New Play Development Program Production
Co-World Premiere
Antonio’s Song/I Was Dreaming of a Son
By Dael Orlandersmith and Antonio Edwards Suarez
Directed by Mark Clements
January 26 – March 6, 2022
Stiemke Studio
Antonio’s Song is a poetic journey of a dancer/artist/father questioning the balance of his passions – art, culture, family. From the streets of Brooklyn to Russia’s ballet training studios, Antonio struggles to reconcile multiple ethnic identities. He wrestles with the legacy of stereotypes of masculinity while discovering the beauty of becoming a father. Dael Orlandersmith’s powerful poetry is intermixed with original movement, music and evocative projected imagery to create a wholly unique and stunning performance by the breathtaking Antonio Edwards Suarez.
This production will feature our Act II Community Conversation series
Shakespeare with a Twist
As You Like It
By William Shakespeare
Adapted by Daryl Cloran
Conceived by Daryl Cloran and the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
February 15 – March 20, 2022
Quadracci Powerhouse
The Beatles meet the Bard in this rollicking, celebratory musical take on William Shakespeare’s As You Like It. It’s 1960s British Columbia and love is in the air as a handful of cross-dressing lovers lead to mistaken identities, hilarious mishaps and loads of laughs. Interwoven into Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy, the production features over 20 Beatles songs performed live including “She Loves You,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “Let It Be.” Audiences will be rolling with laughter and singing along to some of the best songs ever written.
“The Voice” Returns to the Stackner
My Way
A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra
Created by David Grapes and Todd Olson
Book by Todd Olson
Original Production Directed by David Grapes
Directed & Choreographed by Kelley Faulkner
March 4 – May 1, 2022
Stackner Cabaret
From the king of swing to the Rat Pack, Ol’ Blue Eyes charmed his way into the hearts of millions. Celebrate the pivotal moments of Sinatra’s remarkable five-decade career with a journey through his greatest hits. Four performers sing classics such as “I’ve Got the World on a String,” “Fly Me to the Moon” and “New York, New York.” Experience the elegance of “The Chairman of the Board” as you’re transported back to the era of supper clubs, vintage Las Vegas and the perfect martini.
A John (Jack) D. Lewis New Play Development Program Production
A World Premiere
Four Women Prove That Age Is Just A Number
New Age
By Dael Orlandersmith
March 22 – May 1, 2022
Stiemke Studio
Told through music, movement and lyrical storytelling, New Age follows four women at different junctures in life as they contend with their sexuality, insecurities and legacies. Cass loves art and continues to redefine herself after divorce, Lisette recounts how she became a writer as she faces health challenges, Candy has carved out a life for herself and despite struggles remains upbeat, and Liberty, the youngest of the group, begins her career as a rock musician. Edgy, joyful and authentic, Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith’s distinctive style brings the stories of these resilient women to life as they prove that they are defined by much more than age.
The Dreams She Carried Were Unsinkable
Titanic The Musical
Music & Lyrics by Maury Yeston
Book by Peter Stone
Directed by Mark Clements
April 5 – May 15, 2022
Quadracci Powerhouse
Winner of five Tony Awards, Titanic The Musical is a stirring and unforgettable account of the first and last days of the ship of dreams. This epic musical features real stories of people aboard the most legendary ship in the world from third-class immigrants dreaming of a better tomorrow to first class passengers living a life of fame and fortune. Rarely produced due to its size and complexity, this stunning and majestic musical sails into the intimate Quadracci Powerhouse for the theatrical event of the year!
A Star Is Born
Artists Lounge Live Presents
Get Happy: Angela Ingersoll Sings Judy Garland
May 5 – July 1, 2022
Stackner Cabaret
In an Emmy Award-nominated performance seen on PBS, Angela Ingersoll celebrates Judy Garland live in concert. Backed by a dynamite band, Ingersoll delivers a tour de force of virtuosic vocals, passionate storytelling, humor, and heart. Ingersoll also won acclaim starring as Garland in End of the Rainbow, including Chicago’s Jeff Award and LA Times Woman of the Year in Theatre. Chicago Sun-Times exclaims, “Phenomenal. Judy Garland has been reborn.” Classic songs include “Over the Rainbow,” “The Trolley Song,” and “The Man That Got Away.” Presented by Artists Lounge Live.
Eight Suspects, One Thrilling Ride
Agatha Christie’s
Murder on the Orient Express
Adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig
Directed by Marti Lyons
May 31 – July 1, 2022
Quadracci Powerhouse
Board the exotic and mysterious Orient Express as it takes off into the opulence and grandeur of the 1930s with a train full of suspects – each with a motive and an alibi. This dazzling new adaptation of Agatha Christie’s masterpiece is filled with twists, turns and larger-than-life characters. Join beloved detective Hercule Poirot as he battles the clock to figure out “whodunit” in this murder mystery that’s the perfect way to close our season.
OFF –SUBSCRIPTION
Milwaukee’s Favorite Holiday Tradition
A Christmas Carol
November 30 – December 24, 2021
By Charles Dickens
Adapted & Directed by Mark Clements
Pabst Theater
Make up for lost time with family and friends this holiday season as our full ensemble production joyfully returns to the historic Pabst Theater. A Christmas Carol is one of the best-known and loved stories in the English language. During the course of one memorable Christmas Eve the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future help Scrooge discover it is never too late to change his miserly ways. Enchanting music, dance, costumes, scenery and special effects will once again fill the theater to tell this timeless tale of love, hope and redemption. Featuring Lee E. Ernst as Ebenezer Scrooge, it’s the perfect way for audiences of all ages to celebrate the season.
For more information, please visit www.MilwaukeeRep.com.
Khalid Cancels Summerfest 2021 Concert
Summerfest announced that the Khalid concert, previously scheduled for June 24, 2021 at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, has been canceled. Unfortunately, Khalid is not available during the festival’s new time period. We hope to see him next year.
Refunds for current ticketholders are available at the original point of purchase. The American Family Insurance Box Office is open Monday-Wednesday from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. for fans who purchased tickets in person.
Summerfest is moving forward with its planning for the festival, which will take place over three consecutive weekends (Thursdays-Saturdays) September 2-4, 9-11, and 16-18, 2021. The Summerfest entertainment team has secured additional headliners for 2021 and is working to reschedule artists that have been previously announced.
Updates on Summerfest and the lineup will be forthcoming in the weeks to come.
POV Presents THROUGH THE NIGHT
A Timely Portrait of Resilience, Love, and the Fundamental Role of Caregivers from Afro-Dominican Filmmaker Loira Limbal, Debuting Monday, May 10, 2021 on PBS
American Documentary is proud to announce the national broadcast premiere of PBS alumnus Loira Limbal’s (Estilo Hip Hop) second feature documentary, Through the Night, premiering Monday, May 10, 2021 on PBS at 10 p.m. ET (check local listings) and at pov.org as part of the program’s 33rd season. The film will also be available to stream for free at pov.org until June 10, 2021.
An official selection at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival as well as at DOC NYC and AFI DOCS, Through the Night is an intimate cinema verité portrait of three working mothers whose lives intersect at a 24-hour daycare center in New Rochelle, New York: a mother working the overnight shift as an essential worker at a pediatric hospital; another holding down three jobs in order to support her family, and a woman who, for over two decades, has cared for the children whose parents have nowhere else to turn. A timely portrait of resilience, love, and the fundamental role of caregivers in society, Through the Night showcases the multiplicity of “women’s work” — paid, underpaid, and unpaid; emotional and physical; domestic and career-oriented — all while negotiating the terms of a dignified existence under the three arrows of racism, sexism, and capitalism in America. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Through the Night and the stories it centers take on an even greater sense of urgency and profound meaning.
In subtle strokes, Limbal takes the viewer into the world of Dee’s Tots,a vibrant daycare center that caters to all types of family situations and scenarios. Children are picked up and dropped off by parents who are tired but appreciative, many of them coming from overnight shifts or long days of work, sometimes at multiple jobs. The families that Deloris (or Nunu, as the children call her) serves are explicit in their need for her and her service; she’s a part of their family, and in many cases, she’s the glue that holds them together, an integral piece of the puzzle that helps make their day-to-day schedules possible. Through the Night spotlights the fact that these parents often have nowhere else to turn, putting into sharp focus the networks of pressure placed on single-parent households led by women of color. The capitalist system, it emphasizes, isn’t set up to take care of these essential workers that keep our economy afloat; they battle racism, sexism, and systemic apathy as they try to do what’s best for their families.
Through the Night elevates motherhood and the politics of care to the big screen, holding space for the communities of women that help raise generations of children so that they can go on to live healthy, successful, and happy lives. As the documentary goes on to reveal, this selflessness often comes at the cost of the health and well-being of the caregivers themselves. Within the course of the film, Nunu has to confront her own personal and medical needs, realizing that she must look out for herself in order to continue serving the children and families that rely on her. Through the Night is populated by hard-working, compassionate, and profoundly loving women that give faces and names to the countless working-class Black and Latinx mothers providing for their families in this country.
Through her intimate approach and closely-nurtured relationships with the people on screen, Limbal presents a universe with these women at its core. A heart-warming portrait of love above all else, Through the Night reminds us of the sacrifices all mothers make and the disproportionate sacrifices mothers of color are expected to make. This latest project once again confirms Limbal as a director to watch at the forefront of contemporary documentary.
“POV was very proud to come on early as co-producers of Through the Night, in partnership with ITVS. This is the type of resonant and thoughtful filmmaking that public media should be supporting and that audiences want to see” said executive director of POV | American Documentary Justine Nagan. “With extraordinary empathy and a visionary sense for detail, Loira’s film is a testament not only to the dehumanizing grind of the modern economy, but also to the beauty, community and love of the mothers, caregivers and children who carve out rich and full lives in the midst of systemic injustice. Both timely and universal, Through the Night is an incredible and important film, and we can’t wait to share it with PBS viewers across the country.”
“Through the Night is my love letter to single mothers and caregivers,” says director Loira Limbal. “I was raised by an amazing cast of Black and Latinx women who performed miraculous acts of resilience, creativity, and subversion on a daily basis. Unfortunately, when I look around at our popular culture these women are rarely seen and when they do appear, they are represented in reductive ways that often amount to caricatures. My vision as a filmmaker is to flood our popular culture with beautifully complex portrayals of the lives of working-class women of color so that we have new gazes and new ways of seeing ourselves. Through the Night is the story of our protagonists, but it’s also the story of countless women in my community. It’s my mother’s story. It’s my own story. And while I want to shine a light on the many systemic problems in our society, I ultimately want to lift up the abundance of love and interdependence among the women, children, and families in our film and our communities.”
Following the premiere of Through the Night on May 10, 2021, POV will also premiere the short film Standing Above the Clouds. The film follows Native Hawaiian mother-daughter activists as they stand to protect their sacred Mauna Kea from the building of the world’s largest telescope. Standing Above the Clouds is a co-production of Jalena Keane-Lee and Pacific Islanders in Communications with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, in association with American Documentary I POV.
“We decided Standing Above the Clouds was the perfect compliment to Through the Night for its powerful and beautiful depiction of passionate women doing what’s necessary to protect their community. Courage, resilience and the legacy carried in the young are connective tissue linking these films,” said Opal H. Bennett, Co-Producer, POV.
* * * *
Through the Night Credits
Country: USA
Year: 2020
Running Time: 76 minutes
Languages: English
Director: Loira Limbal
Producer: Jameka Autry
Co-Producer: Nicole Docta
Editor: Malika Zouhali-Worrall
Director of Photography: Naiti Gamez
Executive Producers: Justine Nagan and Chris White, POV
About the Filmmakers:
LOIRA LIMBAL – Director
Loira Limbal is an Afro-Dominican filmmaker and DJ interested in the creation of art that is nuanced and revelatory for communities of color. She is the Senior Vice President of Programs at Firelight Media. Limbal’s current film, Through the Night, is a feature documentary about a 24 hour daycare center. Through the Night is a New York Times Critics’ Pick and was selected for a world premiere at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival. Her first film, Estilo Hip Hop, was a co-production of ITVS and aired on PBS in 2009. She is a Sundance Institute Fellow, NAACP Image Award nominee, a DOC NYC Documentary New Leader, Chicken & Egg Award recipient, and a former Ford Foundation JustFilms/Rockwood Fellow. Additionally, she co-produces and helms the popular Brooklyn monthly #APartyCalledRosiePerez. Limbal received a B.A. in History from Brown University and is a graduate of the Third World Newsreel’s Film and Video Production Training Program. She lives in the Bronx with her two children.
JAMEKA AUTRY – Producer
Jameka Autry is a producer, director, and 2019 Sundance Creative Producing Fellow. In 2017 she was honored as an Impact Partners Creative Producers Fellow and in 2018 she was selected as part of the inaugural DOC NYC 40 Under 40 List. She was recently awarded the Sundance/A&E Brave Storyteller Award at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and currently holds a Post Graduate Fellowship at the Investigative Reporting Program at the UC Berkeley School of Journalism.
Most recently she completed work on Through the Night, which premiered at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival. Other producing works include Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops, which won the jury grand prize at SXSW and Boston International Film Festival, and premiered on HBO in Fall 2019. Jameka has also produced Marathon: The Patriots Day Bombing (HBO), In My Father’s House (Showtime), Matangi/
TV One’s Unsung & Uncensored celebrate R&B Heartthrobs Keith Washington and KEM this Sunday, April 11 at 9pm ET/8pm C
A Gay Man’s Guide to Life Delivers Empowering Insights to Inspire Personal Growth and Transformation
Seattle, WA, April 5, 2021 — As an innocent child, Britt East was a beautiful blend of masculine and feminine traits — a tender-hearted soul who sensed he was “inexcusably different,” and felt unwelcomed and unwanted by his family and peers.
It’s an all-too familiar narrative for gay youths who must learn to navigate the long, arduous road toward self-discovery, all the while trying to reconcile their personal truth with familial and societal expectations of “normal” behavior. Many young gay men become convinced of their brokenness and succumb to their despair, viewing seclusion (or even death) as an easier path than living their authentic lives.
“If we don’t live honestly and openly, we won’t have the skills, wisdom, or relationships necessary to manifest our dreams,” says East in his powerful new book, A Gay Man’s Guide to Life: Get Real, Stand Tall, and Take Your Place. “But when we do come out, we must confront the full force of societal homophobia, and consider a variety of questions.”
Among those uncertainties are how to overcome internalized homophobia and cultivate sustainable gay friendships; how to create a family without mimicking the norms of a straight society; and, in a world of hook-up apps and disposable relationships, how to find lasting love.
A Gay Man’s Guide to Life, which is part memoir and part inspirational guidebook, addresses these crucial topics and many others, through the lens of a gay man, for gay men everywhere.
Britt candidly and vividly shares his own traumatic, personal journey, and uses his experiences and insights to inform an approachable, no-nonsense path to help gay men set down excuses and get to the business of improving the most important facets of their lives, including body, mind, spirit, career, family and more. He offers hope and support, giving readers the sense of family that perhaps they never had. A Gay Man’s Guide to Life is not comprised of new-age mumbo jumbo or wishy-washy self-help jargon. It is about real work focused on real results to help members of the gay community.
At its core, A Gay Man’s Guide to Life is a manual for personal growth and development, with plenty of pragmatic advice to challenge and inspire gay men to uncover their true selves and live their best lives.
Britt East is an author and speaker who uses his experience, strength and hope to challenge and inspire change-oriented gay men to get down to the business of improving their lives. With over two decades of personal growth and development experience in a variety of modalities, such as the 12 Steps, Nonviolent Communication, yoga, meditation, talk therapy and the Hoffman Process, Britt is committed to building a personal practice of self-discovery that he can then share with gay men everywhere. He lives in Seattle with his husband and their crazy dog.
For more insights from the author, please visit www.britteast.com, or follow him on Instagram (@britteast); Twitter (@britteast); or Facebook (@brittdawsoneast).
A Gay Man’s Guide to Life: Get Real, Stand Tall, and Take Your Place
Publisher: Houndstooth Press
ISBN-10: 1544509227
ISBN-13: 978-1544509228
Available from Amazon.com, BN.com, Apple Books and many online outlets
Thandiwe Newton Is Reclaiming Her Name
After being miscredited as “Thandie” in her first project—a mistake that has continued for the rest of her career—actress Thandiwe Newton is insisting people use her whole name. All of her future films will be credited with her full name, Thandiwe, which means beloved in Shona.
“That’s my name. It’s always been my name. I’m taking back what’s mine,” Newton said in her May cover story for British Vogue.
Newton also spoke about her experiences with abuse in the film industry, which started when she was sexually abused by director John Duigan at the age of 16 while shooting her very first film, Flirting.
“There’s a moment where the ghost of me changed, you know, and it was then, it was 16. He derailed me from myself utterly. I was traumatised. It was a kind of PTSD for sure. I was so distraught and appalled that a director had abused a young actress, and that it was happening elsewhere, minors getting abused and how #@%! up it was. I was basically waiting for someone to come along and say, ‘Well, what shall we do about this?’’’
Although Newton faced a great deal of backlash when she first came forward with her story of abuse, soon the #MeToo movement led to countless more women within Hollywood sharing their own stories of abuse and assault.
“I have a seventh sense for abuse and abusers,” Newton said, “which I believe is one of the reasons why I was rejected a lot in Hollywood. I’ll talk about it until the cows come home, because I know I’ll be helping someone.” [Vogue]