We STILL Wear The Mask

We Wear the Mask
By Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.

Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us,while
We wear the mask.

We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!

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Lights! Cameras! Action!

Big news! Me and my co-producer, Jacob Templin, are screening our documentary @Maysles Cinema in Harlem! It will be our first screening, the New York Premiere of 125 Franco's Blvd. More details later but spread the word and hope to see you there!

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We Are All "Precious" Whether We Choose To Admit It Or Not...

Last night, I saw the film Precious based on the novel written by Sapphire, called Push.

Push is about a young girl from Harlem named Precious who has been physically, mentally and sexually abused her entire life. The book flashes back and details the horrific suffering Precious endured, raped and impregnated by her father.

I read the book 5 years ago and wasn't looking forward to the movie. The graphic details of abuse, incest and hopelessness haunted me for a long time after I finished it. So haunting, that every time I thought about it, my heart ached, my eyes welled-up and I had to make myself think "happy thoughts" before I just lost it.

I'd heard stories of molestation and rape from friends before so it wasn't like I was unaware of how these terrible acts stay with people. What made Precious's situation difficult was for how long the abuse happened and how no one did anything to stop it. Precious just fell through the cracks, which was heartbreaking.

And break my heart, Precious did. To me, the story was not just about the physical and sexual abuse of a young girl by her mother and father(even though that was the worst). The story was also about how inadequate Precious felt, because nobody loved her.

What really stayed with me was how "invisible" Precious was, despite her physical presence. In class. At home. On the streets. Everywhere. It's something that many of us can relate to. Working our butts off on a school project, only to get little credit. Putting 110% in at our jobs for years, never getting promoted. Giving our all in our relationships, only to have it not work out. We've all been there and felt that way about something or the other in our lives...this is why I know that I'm not alone in saying that there's a little bit of Precious in all of us, whether we want to admit it or not.

I won't give away all the details for those who haven't seen the film but I will say that Precious stays true to the novel which is a rarity. I'm encouraging everyone to read the book first, then see the movie. But be prepared. Precious is not a feel good, warm and fuzzy film. It's raw and hurtful and at times shocking. But it's something that we need to be aware of so that we can talk about prevention and hopefully have no more Precious girls.

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Reporters Notebook: Covering the Michael Jackson Tribute @ The Apollo

What an exhausting but exhilarating day! I'd been in Harlem filming for another project so when I heard about the tribute, I just knew I had to be there! My goal was to put something together for my reel but alas, a freelance opportunity popped up. And we all know the saying that when opportunity knocks, open the door!

I worked with my doc partner, Jacob Templin, and we started the day early, 6:30am to be exact. We set out to get sounds and images from Michael Jackson's adoring fans, some who'd been standing in line all night, just to be the first to get in to the Apollo. Some had even trekked from as far as Los Angeles, Texas and get this---Denmark! So with the SONY HDV Z7U on our shoulders and a hand held mic for MOSs, we set out to capture the spirit of the day. Here are some of my highlights:

View From The Rooftop: Right away I knew I wanted an aerial shot of the thousands lined up 125th street. So I popped into Lazarus and begged the manager to let me onto the roof. Was mildly surprised when management said YES! Jacob and I dragged ourselves and equipment up 5 flights of steps, climbed over a huge air-conditioner unit and slid under some rusty pipes and finally to the ledge. You can check out our AMAZING view in our piece.

Inside the Apollo: The tribute inside the Apollo was only for credentialed press. That means my New Jersey press pass and Columbia press pass didn't work...I tried to use both but that didn't work out. Towards the end of the day when the sky opened up and started pouring, I tried again...this time being a Columbia student helped...I got in! Thrilled, I proudly filed in with the rest of the press to get my story too. Only, it was not to be...no video cameras allowed in the Apollo. No kidding! At that point there wasn't much I could do except take still photos and tweet. I'm only human so I sat back and enjoyed Rev. Al Sharpton's speech and Spike Lee's words about Michael Jackson. I also enjoyed just watching MJ's fans...they are a colorful, dedicated and passionate bunch.

So here's what got me through a day like this:

Sneakers, bottles of water, long-wearing MAC Cosmetics, bobby pins, a sturdy backpack, extra chargers and last but not least: a sweet, cordial smile and attitude at all times. You catch more flies with sugar and honey than you do with vinegar. And many will tell you that I'm a living testament to that.


Here's the piece I worked on. Let me know what you think.

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I'm Baaaaccckkk!!! Well, Kind Of...

I know, I know, I KNOW! Who does that? Starts a blog that's supposed to detail her journey back to grad school and then can't even post for months? I apologize and I'm sorry. My semester was tough...19 credit hours that included a Documentary seminar, a Digital Newsroom management course, a Feature Writing elective and of course, Columbia News Tonight, the workshop that kept me trekking all over NYC on the hunt for the next scoop.

Anyhow, I graduated last month(hurrah!)but have since been researching my Master's Thesis, a 1/2 hour documentary about Harlem, Arts and Culture. I know it's vague but I can't speak as freely as I'd like to about it. So I'm shooting, reporting, writing and editing in order to get this done by September. Once I get all my interviews in the can, I'll post sneak peeks!

After my film is wrapped, who knows?

Sky's the limit!

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Waitlist Woes

Parents in Morningside Heights say daycare in the neighborhood is limited and expensive. Sia Nyorkor reports on the struggle to find a spot for their kids.

New Yorkers Flock To Public Libaray

The Association of American Publishers says 2008 domestic book sales were down by nearly 2 and a half percent, not surprising in the state of our economy. Although Mayor Bloomberg is expected to make cuts to the city library’s budget, New Yorkers are flocking to their neighborhood branch for free movies and books. Sia Nyorkor reports from Manhattan.