Tag: Black Feminism

Jacob Blake's Sister, Letetra Widman: "I Don't Want Your Pity. I Want Change."

Jacob Blake’s Sister, Letetra Widman: “I Don’t Want Your Pity. I Want Change.”

Letetra Widman highlighted the broader impact of systemic racism around Blake’s shooting—one that the families of murdered Black Americans have been highlighting for a long, long time.

“When you say the name Jacob Blake, make sure you say father, make sure you say cousin, make sure you say son, make sure you say uncle. But most importantly, make sure you say human. Human life. Let it marinate in your mouth and your minds. A human life. Just like every single one of you all and everywhere … We’re human. His life matters.”

Conventional Ignorance: Belva Davis Confronts Violent Racism at the 1964 RNC

At the very outset of what would become an award-winning career as a TV journalist, Belva Davis confronted violent racism at the 1964 Republican National Convention, at which conservative Arizona senator Barry Goldwater was nominated for the presidency. Her memory of that daunting experience reminds us that we’ve been through change followed by backlash before.

“Day one of the convention had been tense but orderly. … Day two was starting to spin out of control.”

Oshun Energy in Beyoncé’s "Black is King"

Oshun Energy in Beyoncé’s “Black is King”

We are certainly entering a new era when Beyoncé, our most celebrated Black pop star, can access a dominant worldwide corporation like Disney—responsible for some of the most troubling anti-Black representations for nearly a century—and utilize its platform to correct our image and offer us a grand, divine mirror to see ourselves anew. “Black is King” is Oshun’s mirror by way of Beyoncé’s artistic vision.

The Lost Season: COVID-19’s Impact on Underrepresented Playwrights

The Lost Season: COVID-19’s Impact on Underrepresented Playwrights

Donnetta Grays is just one of many playwrights whose productions were cut short this year due to COVID-19—since the spring season is generally when theaters “take more risks” in producing shows outside of the traditional canon. So the pandemic, unsurprisingly, is disproportionately affecting playwrights who produce such “radical” work—namely, Black, queer and marginalized writers.

The Kilroys’ LIST aims to memorialize those productions.