The Souls of Black Girls
I’ve requested a review copy of this. So far, no response.
An Interview with Filmmaker Daphne Valerius
conducted by s. e. anderson
Filmmaker Daphne Valerius takes a stark look at the relationship
between media images and the self-esteem of African American women
in her moving documentary The Souls of Black Girls. Here, she shares
the purpose behind her passion, and thoughts on what it takes for us
all to start loving what we see in the mirror.
Q: What made you name your film, The Souls of Black Girls?
The title “The Souls of Black Girls” derives from the seminal book by
W.E.B Dubois “The Souls of Black Folks” where he discusses the
double-consciousness condition where there is a duality of being a Negro
and an American in the United States. I was inspired and intrigued by
this concept when I was first introduced to it and I was inspired to name
my piece, The Souls of Black Girls because I attempt to expand upon the
duality of people of color but I wanted to include gender within that
very same concept presented by Dubois. So I’ve chosen to expand on the
idea that as Black women we have a “triple consciousness” condition where
we have to be a Negro, a woman and an American and within that identity
we also struggle to define our own standard of beauty.
Q: When did you find that film making could be your “voice” to speak out
or express yourself?
This piece was done as a journalistic broadcast piece and so when given
the opportunity to focus and concentrate on one area to develop my final
master’s thesis I chose to focus on this topic and issue building upon
research that I conducted as a Ronald McNair Scholar on this very same
topic. So I found my “voice” by during my studies as a graduate student
of Broadcast Journalism at Emerson College.
Q: A documentary of this poignancy is much needed in today’s
oversaturated culture of bling and booty. When did you get to the point
where you decided to do something about what we see on the screen and in
the magazines?
This piece actually came about as a result of my own insecurities growing
up as a young black girl in our culture and society. For me I was always
very much “into” media images and entertainment as an aspiring performer
but I always felt very much invisible and uncertain of myself as a result
of not seeing a reflection of those who look like me in magazines,
advertisements, or television and of the women of color that looked like
me there were few. And in my youth I can say that I felt very much like
Pecola Breedlove of Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” to a certain degree.
So for me in putting together this documentary, it was very much a
selfish exploration of my own feelings and understanding how and why I
was influenced by media images. But also realizing that this can’t just
be me and so as I was in search of trying to answer these questions of
myself I was also hoping to foster open and honest dialogue among women
because I knew it wasn’t just “me.”
Q: The documentary includes interviews from some of the most intelligent
and passionate voices of our community; most importantly—voices that work
directly in the media in some form (film, print, television, etc). How
did you decide on who all to include and/or interview?
I can honestly say that God decided for me who would be included in this
piece. But it also came as a result of relationships that I had built
over the years. Chuck D was the very first individual attached to this
piece. I had a relationship with both Chuck D and Regina King prior to me
putting together this piece and so I simply asked if they would be
interested in being a part of this piece and God took care of the rest.
Q: What was the most interesting interview during the film?
Interviewing Chuck D was probably the most insightful for me because he
is a natural human encyclopedia and he is so very knowledgeable being an
artist himself and a part of the media industry. Then interviewing Regina
King was also very special for me as it was a very special moment for the
both of us after having developed a mentoring relationship with one
another, so her interview was also very special and insightful. But not
to mention, my interviews/focus group with the young girls where I got a
chance to really talk to the new generation of young women being affected
by media images.
Q: Let’s talk about a woman’s self-esteem. Today, little black girls have
so many role models to look up to. Women like Ann Fudge, Oprah Winfrey,
Ruth Simmons, Donna Brazile, as well as host of others who have
accomplished a great deal and have overcome some incredible adversity.
But why is it still so hard for us as black women to see ourselves as
worthy . . . or special . . . or any other positive adjective that can
describe the beautiful and talented beings that we are?
The best way to put it is such that there was a time in our society when
we were dealing with the issue of the fatherless boy, but now we are in a
day and age where we are dealing with the issue of fatherless women and
so many Black women are desperately looking for love in all the wrong
places. Looking for love outside of themselves and not understanding the
importance of loving yourself before you can love someone else. So that
being said, Black women are hurting, in a way that is almost
unexplainable and it doesn’t matter how long or blonde the weave is, how
fake the nails, how blue or green the color contacts are, or how much
make-up you put on to make yourself look better on the outside when
you’re hurting on the inside–a result of not loving themselves enough.
You have to love yourself to know that you can and will become somebody
and that’s why you have the Ann Fudge’s and the Oprah’s and the Donna
Brazile’s because they loved themselves to know that they can and will
become someone and not allowing anyone to take that away from them.
Q: Recently, rap music has come under fire more than ever as the culprit
in perpetuating negative images of women—black women especially. I find
it interesting because a lot of these rappers talk about growing up in
households where grandma or mama raised them because daddy wasn’t around.
So why is it so easy for them to serve as the driving force behind these
constant negative images?
One misconception is that Black men who are behind the scenes “just
happen” to be behind the scenes when in fact a lot of these gentlemen and
educated Black men are merely profiting doing business the white man’s
way of doing business. So the only driving force that I can say is profit
and money. But the reality is that the same guy behind the scenes working
on the set of the video or making executive decisions in the boardroom of
King magazine or XXL is more than likely not bringing those ideas into
his home and/or his family. As they say it’s just entertainment and it’s
about making money—at the cost of black women consciously or
unconsciously.
Q: When did things get so bad for us in the media? For instance, if you
had to, could you pinpoint an exact reference where the representation of
black women took a turn for the worse?
I don’t necessarily proclaim to be an expert in media images at all, if
anything in putting together my documentary I was learning just as much
as I was putting the piece together. But to answer your question, in the
piece Chuck D makes reference to the fact that music past 1990 has been
largely confrontational . . . and so if you go back to that time, I think
that when you can say that things started to take a turn for the worse
because we stopped saying I love you to one another and we started
attacking one another not realizing it would get this far ,and even
though Tupac was calling us a “ho” he also sympathized with our struggle
as black women and told us to keep our heads up . . . and so I would
personally want to hear what he would have to say about the state of
hop-hop music and Black women right now.
Q: The chicken or the egg question: who is ultimately to blame? Is it the
executive who controls what is being pumped into the TV set, or is it the
willing participant who contributes to creating and ingesting these
images?
Both. It’s the idea of hegemony, it’s not a one-way street. But I
personally place blame on us as the individuals who consume and give
permission to the media corporations to continue to spew out these media
images without any protest to them. Until we are in a position where we
are protesting shows like I Love New York then there is nothing for us to
say and/or complain about. The executive only understands that I Love New
York is one of the highest rated reality shows in VH1 history. Why is
that? Because we’re watching it. So the bottom line is that unless the
media executive has some personal and vested interest in women of color
they have no reason to understand how these images are affecting us and
the reality is that we have to begin to reject these images by not giving
into them.
Q: What are your hopes for the film?
I hope that The Souls of Black Girls continues to foster open and honest
dialogue with one another across races and gender and I also hope that it
gives people more perspective how black women are subject to manipulating
our appearances in order to look a certain way and be accepted and feel
loved. I also hope to continue to influence men who are left with a
better understanding of Black women and the pressures that we face on a
daily basis. More than anything, we as people and as women need to get to
the place where we are having a conversation with one another rather than
pointing the finger or suffering in silence. And in that same vein I ask
myself who is really having a conversation with Ms. I Love New York or
Karrine Steffans or Melyssa Ford. And so I just hope that this piece
continues to foster the dialogue while challenging us to take
responsibility for ourselves and for one another. I think this piece
resonates across race and gender because it is a piece that is the voice
of the victim and not the voice of the victimizer or spokesman, it’s our
hurts, our pains, our insecurities, our story that no one else can tell
but us.
Q: What do you think is going to have to happen for things to change?
I honestly think that the remarks that Don Imus made towards the women of
the Rutgers University basketball team was by far the worst that could
have happened to get people to pay attention but I think it has also
forced people to be more sensitive and willing to discuss the reality of
these issues. So a white man has already taken the hit and/or blame for
something and so I think that the next person that we must hold
accountable is ourselves.
Q: Last question: Sum up in three words or less what makes up the souls
of black girls.
Not so sure how to answer this but I’ll say that, we’re in a time where
as Black women we must to begin to accept, define, love and promote
ourselves—desperately. In three words: acceptance, love, forgiveness.
For more information about Daphne and The Souls of Black Girls please
visit www.soulsofblackgirls.com or www.myspace.com/soulsofblackgirls
—————————————
s. e. anderson is author of “The Black Holocaust for Beginners”
Social Activism is not a hobby: it’s a Lifestyle lasting a Lifetime
http://blackeducator.blogspot.com
May 3rd, 2008 at 10:49 am
Hmmm… I believe this played at a festival or two in NYC. I remember reading and hearing about it, but I never checked it out. It might play somewhere here again though.