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ALICE WALKER: BEAUTY IN TRUTH
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| ALICE WALKER: BEATUY IN TRUTH |
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Greetings! Welcome to our SEVENTH newsletter.
We begin the final 30 Days of our crowd funding campaign tomorrow. These 2 months have been an incredible learning experience and wonderful for the ways in which our campaign has brought us in contact with some stellar supporters. We certainly feel a sense of community with all of you who have really SHOWED UP and given your time, energy and love to making it happen. Without you we would not have raised the $17,672 as of today. Clearly, even though we are not at the half way mark of our goal, we are much better off than we were when we started. Thanks to each and everyone one of you who have joined us in our journey. |
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WOMANISM'You acting womanish,' i.e. like a woman ... usually referring to outrageous, audacious, courageous, or willful behavior. Wanting to know more and in greater depth than is considered 'good' for one ... [A womanist is also] a woman who loves other women sexually and/or nonsexually. Appreciates and prefers women's culture ... and women's strength ... committed to survival and wholeness of entire people, male and female. Not a separatist ... Womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender.' Alice Walker
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| Arisika Razak & Pratibha
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Recently I was reminded of Alice's definition of womanism when I interviewed Arisika Razak, the Chair of Womens Spirituality department at the California School of Integral Studies. Arisika's interview for our film is deeply illuminating.
I came across the word 'womanism' in the first book I ever read by Alice - In Search Of Our Mothers' Gardens. It's a book I have frequently gone back to while making this film as it is full of insights into Alice's personal journey, embedded in the political and cultural changes taking place in the US during the 1980' and 90's. But I hadn't realised until I spoke to Arisika how womanism has 'stimulated the development of a new field of theological and religious inquiry that placed Black women's moral and ethical agency at the center of religious thought."
"While Alice Walker's definition has been applied to fields as diverse as sociology, education, history, and anthropology, its most profound effect has probably been in the field of religious studies. Black women in divinity schools, seminaries, and theology programs used Walker's definition to examine Biblical narratives from a Black woman's perspective - and they critiqued Black women's treatment in racist, patriarchal and hetero-normative class-based social structures of the Black Church, and the Eurocentric academy, engendering a discourse that is alive and well and continues to this day. " Arisika Razak I love the way our film is shaping up with so many layers and areas of discovery. I am eager to start weaving it all together as soon as all our funding is in place.
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READ MY TITS
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Whether they call themselves womanists or not doesn't really matter because Code Pink and its indefatigable activists are definately, 'outrageous, audicious, wilful' women. Code PInk is a "women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end U.S. funded wars and occupations, to challenge militarism globally, and to redirect resources into health care, education, green jobs and other life-affirming activities."
A few weeks ago I enjoyed reading an interview with the co-founder of Code Pink, Jodie Evans. I wanted to find out about Jodie as she is one of our supporters . Being a bit of a direct action kind of feminist myself, I was taken by her description of their imagiantive protest against the war in Iraq, outside the White House under the Bush Presidency. "We went to the steps of the Capitol at lunchtime. We had painted pink doves of peace and put them on our bras and took our shirts off. And on our bellies we wrote "Read My Tits. No War in Iraq." Because we had taken our shirts off, all the cameras in the Congressional hearing were on us. That's pretty much what Code Pink has done since the beginning. We're in the face of power, wherever it is."
Now this is the kind of womanist behaviour I can totally get behind. |
| THANKS. GIVING. |
It's Thanks Giving week for many of our friends and supporters in the U.S. Thanks Giving always reminds me of an iconic cinematic scene in the engaging Ang Lee film, The Ice Storm, when Christina Ricci's character reminds her family to be thankful for "letting us white people kill all the Indians and steal their tribal lands. And stuff ourselves like pigs, even though children in Asia are being napalmed." While this was a speech from a character portraying a petulant teenager, it was nevertheless a blunt reminder of the history of genocide of native people in the US.
However, I have spent great Thanks Giving holidays with friends in the US who have reclaimed this day and used it as an opportunity to celebrate the love and connection with their chosen families and circles of friends and to eat delicious food.
 This coming holiday season, I plan to read Mankillier: A Chief and Her People, a spiritual, moving autobiography, by the late Wilma Mankiller, former Chief of the Cherokee Nation and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In this book she tells her own history while also honoring and recounting the history of the Cherokees.
"Mankiller's life unfolds against the backdrop of the dawning of the American Indian civil rights struggle, and her book becomes a quest to reclaim and preserve the great Native American values that form the foundation of our nation."
GLOBAL DONORS
To date we have 204 donors who between them have donated $17,652 to the campaign. Its exciting to know that our donors come from 13 different countries around the world and while the majority of them are from the US, other donors are from Australia, Germany, France, Canada, Belgium, Japan, Sweden, Netherlands, Switzerland, Antigua and Barbuda, Denmark, and a few from the U.K. Thanks to all of you who have given so kindly and thoughtfully.
We were particularly moved by a woman who donated $30. A single mother of two, she wrote to us that she has made it a personal policy to donate $30 every month to a different cause, be it a school in Kenya or a homeless centre in her neighbourhood. She wanted to donate to our film because "Alice's writings have sustained me during tough times in my life." This kind, compassionate woman made me think deeply about what motivates people to give and the different cultural understanding of what giving constitutes. A conversation with a friend in Sweden prompted me to think about cultures which encourage giving and those for whom giving is not on their personal or political radar.
 The philanthropic culture of 'giving' and supporting the arts is far more vibrant in the US where the arts have rarely had the support from public funding that they need. Whereas in the UK the arts have had a long history of being publically funded, the climate is being forced to change. The slash and burn policy of government cuts to the arts across the board have left many artists in the UK looking towards the US model of fund raising. But UK artists have the added challenge of raising awareness in their communities of what becoming patrons of the arts means whether that's with a $10 support or a $1,000 support.
Giving doesn't mean its a charitable act but a political commitment as well as a compassionate engagement with sustaining a culture where its' not just about consumption of art but also being active participants in its creation. I would be remiss if I didn't sign off with a call to active support for our last 30 days where we are going to raise $32,000 with YOUR HELP to meet our goal. I remain an 'insane' optimist and believe that we might very well reach our goal. As 9 times Wimbledon winner, Martina Navratilova said, "I think the key is for women not to set any limits." If you have not pledged then please consider a $10 (�6) contribution as a few hundred of these do add up to quite a lot of ka-ching as a recent friend, Ruth from Cape Town said to me. Of course do contribute more if you are in a position to do so. Larger donations can also be made through our fiscal sponsors Women Make Movies, especially good for those looking for tax benefits on their end of year accounts. Here is the link where you can watch the trailer and contribute: http://www.indiegogo.com/Alice-Walker-Beauty-In-Truth-2 Deep gratitude to each and everyone of you for reading my Sunday newsletter. For Tweeting. For Sharing on Facebook. For Your Supportive Emails. For your love.
If you'd like to get involved in the film, Shaheen, the producer, and I would love to hear from you. Feel free to drop us a line by email (beauty.kalifilms@gmail.com) or find me and the film on Facebook or Twitter. You can also read my blog on www.alicewalkerfilm.com
Love & Light & Many Thanks.
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