Ava DuVernay
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Ava DuVernay Has Been Elected to the Motion Picture Academy's Board of Governors for the 1st Time
Ava DuVernay is quite the busy woman, but she has somehow managed to make room for yet another important position. According to Deadline, the Academy Award nominee (for the doc 13th) has been elected to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ (AMPAS) Board of Governors. This will be the director’s first term.…
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Where Do We Go From Here?: Oprah to Host Two-Night Conversation Special on Systemic Racism
When it feels like we’re trapped in an endless loop of police killings and the fights to dismantle the system that perpetuates it, we often can’t help but ask, “Where do we go from here?” That very conversation will be the topic of OWN Spotlight: Where Do We Go From Here?, a two-night special hosted…
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Ava DuVernay Says Little Richard Tipped Her $100 Weekly When She Was a Waitress
Many of us posted our memories and sincerest condolences to social media in honor of the legendary musical figures who passed away over the weekend: Andre Harrell, Betty Wright and Little Richard. Little Richard, in particular, who died on Saturday, May 9 at the age of 87, is being remembered and revered as a pioneer…
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Trailer Roundup: We Go From Paris to Politics By Visiting The Eddy … And She Could Be Next to Preserve Our Democracy
I swear the only way I know the exact day of the week these days is because of these weekly trailer roundups—Happy Friday! Let’s get into some trailers of note this week: Too Hot To Handle (Netflix; Release Date: April 17, 2020) First Impressions: Netflix has been killing the game with reality show content lately…
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Ava DuVernay's ARRAY Alliance Announces $250,000 Initiative for PoC and Women-Centered Organizations Impacted by COVID-19 Crisis
ARRAY has consistently been a champion of highlighting marginalized voices in the arts, and the current unprecedented climate of the industry during the coronavirus pandemic has inspired the independent distribution company and resource collective founded by Ava DuVernay to go a step further. The company’s nonprofit foundation ARRAY Alliance has now launched a $250,000 funding…
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'Life, For Me, Ain't Been No Crystal Stair': Glynn Turman on Relating to His Character's Grief in ARRAY's Justine
Glynn Turman has lived—and most importantly, he’s “being.” The 73-year-old Emmy Award-winning actor landed his most prominent acting role at the tender age of 12, co-starring with the original cast of A Raisin in the Sun on Broadway. Racking up many credits throughout the years, his most recent role is that of a grieving father…
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Judge Dismisses Police Interrogation Firm Defamation Suit Against Ava DuVernay and Netflix for When They See Us
One frivolous lawsuit down; one more to go. Back in October 2019, John E. Reid & Associates filed a defamation suit against Ava DuVernay and Netflix over their trademark police interrogation technique featured in the streamer’s popular limited series, When They See Us. The technique, known as The Reid Technique, has been deemed as controversial…
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'Selma Online' Offers Free Civil Rights Lessons in Response to Lack of Comprehensive Black History Curriculums
For its importance in American history, the civil rights movement is not covered with great depth in many k-12 curricula. Case in point: “Bloody Sunday”—during which Martin Luther King, Jr. and scores of nonviolent protesters were violently attacked by police during their march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala.—is frequently omitted from social studies lessons in…
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Linda Fairstein Files Federal Suit Against Ava DuVernay Over Her Portrayal in When They See Us
Sentient salt lick Linda Fairstein has filed a federal suit against When They See Us writer-director Ava DuVernay due to Fairstein’s portrayal in the limited series, TMZ reports. Fairstein filed the lawsuit Wednesday, claiming she gave DuVernay a warning prior to the series airing on Netflix. She further claims DuVernay simply told her she couldn’t…
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And the Skippy Goes To!: The Root's Inaugural The Blackest Awards Winners
What’s up, Black America! Now that the Oscars have come and gone and awards were given to winners and what not and henceforth, it’s time to redirect that energy back into what matters most: celebrating Blackness in all of its Black Excellence Achievement. And that is exactly what we’re doing here with the Skippies. You…