Episode 27 - Ashley O’Shay - “Basquiat”
Photo Credit: Jameel Bridgewater
[Image Description: Ashley is pictured from the chest up. She stands against a black background, wears a black sleeveless top, gold hoop earrings, and makeup. Her black curly hair is shoulder length.]
In this episode, I speak with DP and director, Ashley O’Shay. We chat about the uniqueness of Chicago filmmakers, How she discovered her love for cinematography, her work on national brands, her work on Surviving R. Kelly, and her feature debut, Unapologetic, which centers queer Black women in the Black Lives Matter movement. Because we’ve got to show love for Chi-town and It’s so important for Black folks to both stand in our righteous rage and joy this week’s song is Jamila Woods’ “Basquiat” featuring Saba.
Episode 26 - Resita Cox - “What They Do”
Photo Credit: Eric D. Seales
[Resita is seated and pictured from the legs up. She sits in a wood director’s chair with a black canvas seat. She wears a long-sleeved black sweatshirt and jeans. Her curly hair is shoulder length. She wears several rings on her fingers. Her legs and hands are crossed. She has a big smile on her face.]
In this episode, I speak with journalist and filmmaker, Resita Cox. We chat about her local news career and why she decided to become a documentary filmmaker. We also discuss her latest project which is supported by Kartemquin Films, Freedom Hill a powerful film that celebrates Princeville, North Carolina, the first town incorporated by freed, enslaved Africans in America that is now suffering the impact of both environmental racism and climate change. Because Resita is a filmmaker who is not only true to her vision and her protagonists and in doing so, disrupts the status quo, the episode’s song is The Roots, “What They Do.”
Episode 25 - Matt Lauterbach, Grishma Shah, & Reveca Torres - “My Future”
Photo Credit: Ryan Gleeson
[Image Description: Matt is pictured from the chest up. He wears a plaid, white, tan, and black shirt over a black t-shirt and glasses. His hair, mustache, and beard, closely cropped. He stands against a brick and cement wall.]
In this episode, I speak with Matt Lauterbach, Grishma Shah, and Reveca Torres of All Senses Go. During our conversation, we chat about how their work with organizations and content creators ensures that media that is created is accessible for all, the accessibility changes the team would like to become the norm as we move into a post-Covid world, and how people with disabilities and their co-conspirators can work together effectively to make lasting, sustainable change that benefits us all. Because organizations like All Senses Go and others disrupt the notion that those who are labeled not mainstream need to seek outside validation, this episode’s song is Billie Eilish’s self-acceptance and self-love anthem, “My Future.”