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mixed roots

Jumping the Fence

 

Thank you, author Maureen Gilmer, for sharing your story! “This book about my family is a true tale of civil rights from about 1800 to 1910 New Orleans.” Book to be released 2014!

 

jumping the fence

“In nineteenth-century New Orleans, Jean Benjamin Esnard and his family struggle to conceal their mixed-race ancestry and pass as white in the increasingly hostile racial environment of the post-Civil War South. Their secret begins to unravel, however, when their son, Adrien, is born darker than his siblings and labeled “C” for “colored” on his birth certificate. As desperation sets in, Jean Benjamin and his wife, Florentine must make the heartbreaking decision to separate the family in order to save it.

In Jumping the Fence, Maureen Gilmer shares the extraordinary true story of early civil rights activists—her ancestors—who stopped at nothing to protect each other and their assets in the struggle against slavery and segregation.” http://www.jumpingthefence.net/

Temp Words

Alison Hart submitted her story!

“My brother’s death rocked my paradigm and forced me to face the impermanence of our lives. Thoughts, feelings, experiences, people, faith, relationships, politics, identity, things (except maybe plastic bags) change; nothing is static.temp words is a journey through impermanence from my perspective as a mixed race woman of color living in America. This is my edge, this is how I navigate through life: one moment at a time.” https://www.createspace.com/4434561

You can follow Alison and her book at:

http://www.fac…com/tempwords

United Solo Festival Submissions Open DEADLINE 3/3/14

The 5th annual UNITED SOLO THEATRE FESTIVAL

September 18 – November 23, 2014

Theatre Row

410 West 42nd Street, New York City

 

UNITED SOLO THEATRE FESTIVAL™ is an annual international festival for solo performances held in New York City. Through a variety of one-person shows, the Festival explores and celebrates the uniqueness of the individual. Productions are selected from openly solicited submissions and presented at the highly acclaimed Theatre Row in the heart of the New York City theatre district on 42nd Street. Renowned solo performers as well as new talents bring their works in many categories (e.g. storytelling, puppetry, dance, multimedia, documentary, musical, improv, stand-up, poetry, magic, performance art, drama: tragedy or comedy). The artists benefit from being presented by United Solo, a company made up of artists and producers with vast experience in solo performance. Theatre companies are given the opportunity to reach out to the industry, generate income from ticket sales from up to eight performances at the Festival, and receive media attention through previews, profiles, and reviews. Shows are also considered for participation in the exclusive United Solo showcase in Europe, as well as for script publication and other honors at the Festival. Submissions open early in the calendar year, and selected participants are announced in spring.

Official website: http://unitedsolo.org/us/ufest/

New Film about Roger Ebert: Life Itself

Not only was Roger Ebert one of the most well-known film critics of our time and an outspoken social activist, he was also very open about his interracial relationship. Kartemquin Films (the production company behind the great documentaries Hoop Dreams and The Interrupters) premiered their new documentary about Ebert, Life Itself, at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. We can’t wait to see it!

Here’s a clip of Ebert defending the Asian American filmmakers of Better Luck Tomorrow – showing his intimate understanding of the importance of allowing us to tell our own stories: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSzP9YV3jbc

 

Wanted: Stories About the Asian American Experience

From the CAAM website: The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) is a non-profit organization dedicated to presenting stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience possible. We do this by funding, producing, distributing and exhibiting works in film, television and digital media.

We encourage you to tell your unique story – and then take advantage of the many resources out there to help get your story distributed to a wider audience. Others will benefit greatly from your truths!

Hafu – Upcoming Screenings

Synopsis from the Hafu website:

With an ever increasing movement of people between places in this transnational age, there is a mounting number of mixed-race people in Japan, some visible others not. “Hafu” is the unfolding journey of discovery into the intricacies of mixed-race Japanese and their multicultural experience in modern day Japan. The film follows the lives of five “hafus”–the Japanese term for people who are half-Japanese–as they explore what it means to be multiracial and multicultural in a nation that once proudly proclaimed itself as the mono-ethnic nation. For some of these hafus Japan is the only home they know, for some living in Japan is an entirely new experience, and others are caught somewhere between two different worlds.

Upcoming Screenings

Please check our screenings page for the latest updates.

January
19~25 Zushi, Kanagawa Cinema Amigo
24 – London Premiere! at Birbeck University

February
8 – Stuttgart, Germany – Deusch-Japanische Gesellschaft Baden-Württenberg
8 – 14 Osaka Premiere! Nanagei Cinema @ 18：45（Playing once a day）
9 – Phoenix, Arizona Japanese Culture Club of Arizona
15 – 21 Osaka Nanagei Cinema @ 20：35（Playing once a day）
22 – Washington D.C., Organized by JETAADC

If you would like the film to be screened in your hometown visit our website  for details or simply email us to info@hafufilm.com

Scholarships for Media Makers – DEADLINE 2/17/14

The Purpose: By endorsing and supporting quality education, the Alliance for Women in Media, Southern California (AWM SoCal), wishes to guarantee the future quality of radio, television, digital media and related fields in Southern California. Toward that goal, AWM SoCal has established a scholarship fund to aid in the higher education of promising students. This complements AWM SoCal’s mission: to advance the impact of women and men in the electronic media and allied fields by educating, advocating and acting as a resource to its members and the industry.

The Scholarship: AWM SoCal will make available funds for annual scholarship awards for tuition and books. Awards will be announced on March 8, 2014.  Scholarship winners will be invited to attend the Genii Awards on April 24, 2014 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.

Eligibility Criteria: Applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Southern California resident (male or female) in Ventura, Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, or Riverside counties.
  • Attending a Southern California accredited four-year College as a junior, senior, or graduate student.
  • Enrolled in television, radio or digital media courses or related curriculum.
  • Enrolled in at least 9 semester hours Spring 2014.
  • Verification by department head, advisor or counselor certifying applicant meets the eligibility criteria.
  • Previous AWM Southern California scholarship winners are eligible.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO: http://awmsocal.org/content.php?page=Scholarships

Solo Performance Theater Festival – Submissions Open 2/1/14

From the All For One website:

The All For One Theater Festival is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of solo performance.  The annual Festival takes place in New York City and offers extraordinary solo theater, workshops and panels to increase awareness and appreciation of the form.  After the Festival, the organization works year around to book AFO shows in order to create sustainable opportunities for solo artists and teachers.  AFO also works to create opportunities in education and community engagement for all solo artists. – See more at: http://www.afofest.org/about/#sthash.UC2A5mAN.dpuf

The Mixed Reddit Experience – Is Obama ‘Black’?

Reddit is an online resource that allows its readers to ‘upvote’ posts. If enough people respond to and click the ‘up’ arrow on a post, it ends up on the ‘front page’ of Reddit – making it more accessible to thousands (if not millions) of people. About a month ago someone posed this question on Reddit: Why is Obama always referred to as black? Surely you would be equally as accurate in calling him white… or am i missing something?

The conversation that follows is fascinating, informative, and very well worth the read.

 

 

One Drop of Love at Choate Rosemary Hall

I had the immense pleasure of performing One Drop of Love for over 300 students at Choate Rosemary Hall last weekend in Connecticut. Here is one of my favorite quotes from one of the students, and a link to the full review:
I’ve seen a lot of white struggle stories, and a lot of black struggle stories, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a mixed struggle story. Zemia Edmondson ’16. http://thenews.choate.edu/article/getting-race-y-pmac#sthash.VGQFeIAj.dpuf