Uncle Nacho Uncle Nacho

In this interview, I sat down with filmmaker and former human rights attorney Michèle Stephenson. She tells us about her migration journey as a Haitian-Panamanian woman and the family dynamics she experienced growing up. Michèle shares her unconventional path toward filmmaking and co-founding the Brooklyn based Rada Film Group with her husband Joe Brewster. Michèle emphasizes the need to complicate narratives as a filmmaker of color and to question those who consider themselves allies. As she says, “Practicing the art form is a statement of resistance itself." And that, “I want the stories that I tell to be disruptive.” Adding, “The statement at the end of the story has got to somehow disrupt the system.”

Michèle also acknowledges that “I want the process to be as important as the end product, as the end of the story itself.” And that, “I think by taking a critical look at ourselves and our subjects… we are complicating our humanity.” She mentions how “Transformation and impact happens in process.” Adding that “The world works in a circular way, not in a linear fashion.”

Please enjoy Part 1 and Part 2 will be released later this month.

For more on Rada Film Group: www.radafilm.com
Michèle's IMDb: www.imdb.com/name/nm0827295

Many thanks to the Hatch Lab Project for their network.
Big shoutout to Francisco Lopez for editing support.

In this episode I interviewed Vashti DuBois, Executive Director and Founder of The Colored Girls Museum in Germantown, Philadelphia, PA. Vashti speaks on her background as a leader for numerous non-profit organizations and her path that led to opening the museum. She talks about the concept of the "ordinary-extraordinary" colored girl. As Vashti puts it, “The Colored Girls Museum really does exist […] to remind all of us, to remind myself that my ordinary is really good enough, it really is.” And that, “There’s almost a disdain for the ordinary anything, just like basic is not good enough.” Adding, “We do have this burden of always feeling as though we have to be fierce, we have to be fabulous, we have to be magical, we have to be strong, we have to be powerful.”

The Colored Girls Museum opened in 2015 and has a new exhibit opening in September titled, "Urgent Care: A social Care Experiment."
For more information on the museum visit:
www.thecoloredgirlsmuseum.com
www.facebook.com/TCGMuseum
www.instagram.com/thecoloredgirlsmuseum
twitter.com/ColoredGirlsMus

In this episode I sat down with Mikey Cordero of the multimedia project Defend Puerto Rico. Their mission statement reads, "Defend PR is designed to document and celebrate Puerto Rican creativity, resilience, and resistance. Recognizing the complex and dynamic landscapes that comprise Puerto Rican daily life and struggle, Defend PR seeks to deepen connections between Puerto Ricans on the island and throughout the diaspora, in the hopes of nurturing greater solidarity, collaboration, and kinship."

Mikey tells us about his relationship to Puerto Rico as a New Yorker and how the project came about as a collaboration amongst friends. We discuss the priorities of the project that are centered on documenting cultural survival and identity. Mikey highlights the CitiCien traveling art exhibition that focuses on the 100 years of U.S. citizenship for Puerto Ricans and what that really means. Defend PR is a platform used to help amplify the voices of the larger Puerto Rican diaspora. As he says, “Its the artist’s role to provide a reflection of society and that is education.” Mikey also shares what folks can look forward to from the project and what engaging content is already available.

For more information on Defend PR please visit:
www.defendpr.com
www.instagram.com/defendpr
www.facebook.com/defendpuertorico
twitter.com/DefendPR

In this episode I sat down with singer Ka'Ra Kersey of the Bay Area in Northern California. She tells us about singing at an early age and the music she grew up listening to. We highlight her unique jazzy style over worldly reggae and spacey trap beats while emphasizing her spirituality and chosen life path. Ka'Ra notes the organic process of getting to work with other artists and producers in the music scene as we feature some of her latest tracks. This California Empress ultimately aims to uplift people of all backgrounds and struggles with her sensual sounds of positivity and strength. When asked about using music as a form of social change, Ka'Ra says, "It's the voice of reason" while putting importance on the power of reflection. Her parting words for the audience are, "Always love and forgive yourself every single day unconditionally."

For more on Ka'Ra Kersey visit:
soundcloud.com/kara_kersey
www.facebook.com/karasmusica/?fref=ts

Featured tracks include:
"Satta Massagana" by Ka'Ra Kersey
"ZION" by Ka'Ra Kersey
"Angel in Disguise" by Ka'Ra Kersey