Zenzelé Soa-Clarke

Oct 24, 2024 | publicseminar.org | Zenzelé Soa-Clarke |Mitchell Abidor |Jo Freeman |Abby Lloyd

Protestors confront the National Guard outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago (August 26, 1968) | Warren K. Leffler / Library of CongressIn anticipation of the Uncommitted Movement’s arrival at this summer’s Democratic National Convention, press and political commentators made frequent reference to the anti-war protests turned police riots of the 1968 convention.

Feb 26, 2024 | publicseminar.org | Kelby Clark |Zenzelé Soa-Clarke |Nicole Hemmer |Natalia Mehlman Petrzela

Hazel (Ashleigh Murray) and Nella (Sinclair Daniel) in a scene from The Other Black Girl. Image Credit: Mariama Diallo, 2023In the first episode of Hulu’s The Other Black Girl (2023), a Black editorial assistant walks into an empty office that, from its wall to its decor, is completely white.

Feb 12, 2024 | publicseminar.org | Zenzelé Soa-Clarke

Cord Jefferson’s recent film, American Fiction, is garnering praise this awards season for its satirical approach to Black representation in both literature and film. Based on the 2001 novel Erasure by Percival Everett, it tells the story of Thelonius “Monk” Ellison, a disgruntled novelist tired of having his talents and success confined by rampant racial stereotypes. Monk writes a novel exaggerating all the clichés he disdains—and laying bare the absurdity of an industry that values such work.

Dec 18, 2023 | publicseminar.org | Zenzelé Soa-Clarke |Heather Richardson |Kelby Clark |Asha Hassan Nooli

Image credit: Juel Taylor,They Cloned Tyrone, Netflix, 2023Released on Netflix this past summer, They Cloned Tyrone is a new addition to the platform’s “Black Stories” film collection, a category created in the tumult of June 2020 to “showcase exceptional Black talent, in front and behind the camera.” It is Hollywood screenwriter Juel Taylor’s directorial debut, and follows the exploits of three central Black characters: Fontaine, a drug dealer; Slick Charles, a pimp; and Yo-Yo, a sex worker.

Nov 29, 2023 | publicseminar.org | Zenzelé Soa-Clarke

Image credit: Slingshot Hip Hop by Jackie Reem SalloumAs grim images of corpses and devastated cityscapes continue to pour out of Gaza, even while truce extensions are worked out day by day, the paths to peace and justice remain unclear. During this time, Jackie Reem Salloum’s 2008 documentary, Slingshot Hip Hop, might offer some degree of solace to those seeking hope. The film follows the first Palestinian rap group, Da Arab MCs (DAM), revealing a snapshot of Palestinian resistance.