This mini-series follows a group of actors living in Washington Heights, and all of the racial, sexual, social, and political complexities of millennial life.

This mini-series follows a group of actors living in Washington Heights, and all of the racial, sexual, social, and political complexities of millennial life.

Week 7: SANKOFA The most striking recurrence I’ve experienced in these conversations proved to be this sort of anxiety older Black Americans held about others in the community not knowing enough about a given issue. In fact, this apprehension was very much framed in a the way that the speaker is often the discoverer of a political/social/historical truth. The speaker, knowing that this truth could empower others in the community, then worries that they haven’t yet made the same discovery, and will therefore bring not only them down, but everyone else. They are, for intents and purposes, their brother’s keeper. 

WEEK 11: PERFORMING WHILE BLACK A common theme we have encountered throughout our various fieldwork experiences is the lack of black cultural heritage being conveyed to younger generations. In this weeks’ fieldwork, we explored the significance of different forms of representation in the arts, as we talked to Yanece and Mario, two featured actors in the play “In The Heights.” In the Heights is a play which focuses on themes including the effects of gentrification on local marginalised populations, and what happens when the middle generation loses its connection to their past/history.

WEEK 12: LOVE THAT BINDS In Love That Binds, we explore different points of view on love and relationships with familiar faces from earlier projects In the Heights, relatives in St. Louis and people encountered in Washington DC. Here we recount stories of when lovers first meet, the permanence of relationships then & now, and finding meaning and significance in both. In the midst of it all, these stories reveal the undeniable parallels of love across color, age, and sexuality that ultimately deconstructs the Other.

WEEK 13: BRAINSTORM Building up to the final project, we sat down with Mario, Yanece and Glenn to discuss how they would represent themselves as young and coloured. The different ideas that came up included a mix of short web series and clips to illustrate the current discourses of black representation, a One Woman Show by Yanece and a day in the life of Glenn. The topic of representation of young, coloured people in New York ties into earlier projects we have done throughout the semester, as several people we have met have emphasised the importance of having a clear understanding of ones heritage and history as a form of empowerment - whether it’s through education or close relationships between generations or within communities. The representation discussed in this brainstorming session is directly related to understanding and sharing a common heritage and history, as it both taps into and challenges negative stereotypes and shifts focus to what it really means to be young and black in America today.