She Has The Mic

I am so grateful for Venida Rodman Jenkins, and the illuminating conversation we had about cultural humility and conscious consumption of the media. I have realized that white women have the power to change what we see on screen. We vote with our dollars. Which means, with every dollar we spend, we can choose to support films made by and about women of color, to ensure that their stories are told. Authenticity. There are so many ways we can seek out these films, and right now, film festivals are highly accessible online. Let's celebrate; celebrate seeing women of color on screen, their voices, and their journeys.

Venida C. Rodman Jenkins is the Director of the Speicher-Rubin Women's Center for Equity and Diversity at New Jersey City University bringing visibility to underrepresented groups. In September of this year Venida was welcomed as the new Race, Gender, and the Media professor at Newhouse NYC at Syracuse University. She is also the Founder and Pastor of EMBRACE Church.

Venida, named to ROI's Influencers List for People of Color 2019 has merged her unique experiences in publishing, higher education, and Christianity to facilitate discussions, and bring enlightenment in the areas of race, gender, cultural humility, and faith.

My guest today is Sujata Day. Sujata’s first feature film, Definition Please, spoke right to my heart. I have bipolar disorder, and I am so glad that it is being seen in a fuller scope. In popular films, we see the extreme side of bipolar disorder. In Sujata's film, the story of Monica and her family shows the much more nuanced side of this mental illness. Sujata’s film is down-to-earth, elegant, joyous and poignant all at the same time. And in our interview we talk about how life is just like that, and that our relationships play a big role in who we are as human beings.

Sujata is known for her starring role as CeCe in Issa Rae’s Awkward Black Girl. She has also recurred for three seasons on HBO's Insecure. Sujata is a Sundance Lab fellow and 2019 HBO Visionaries Ambassador. Her short film, Cowboy and Indian, sold to a major studio for series development. Sujata's award-winning debut feature film, Definition Please, is currently on the film festival circuit.   You can connect with Sujata through Facebook and Instagram   Additionally can also watch her film, Definition Please at the following film festivals  

• Hawaii International Film Festival
• Three Rivers Film Festival 

Woo hoo! I got the courage up to do a commentary. Good job, me.

I am going to do commentaries regularly from now on. Each episode will be about 20 minutes, and I'll be talking about:

1. Something personal about me; funny family stories, and life experiences in general.
2. A review of a film or tv show I've seen that week, with a female lead.
3. My take on current events that week.

This week I'm talking about where I've lived, the documentary film Miss Representation, The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, Lovecraft Country and the impending exit of our current, crap president.

And that's it in a nutshell! It was a little scary deciding to do this; interviewing other people just seems easier. But in fact, it was way better than a trip to the dentist.

Hope you are having a great week.

My love to you!

~Dianne

www.diannewieler.com

Find me on Instagram

on Facebook

and on Linkedin

Sarah Megan Thomas is a champion for women's stories, and her latest film, "A Call To Spy" is the fantastic telling of 3 heroic women spies in WWII. In 1941 Winston Churchill enlisted women spies in the Special Operations Executive to conduct sabotage and build resistance. Women were not seen as threats, and were far less likely to be stopped at check points. Working off this stereotype these women were dauntless in their efforts to thwart the march of the Nazi regime into France. I was absolutely riveted by the stories of Virgina Hall, Vera Atkins and Noor Inayat Khan. This is a must see film for anyone wanting to know more about the role these courageous women played in ending WWII.

Sarah Megan Thomas is an actress, producer, and writer. ​

For her latest film, "A Call to Spy," Sarah wrote the original screenplay, produced, and plays legendary American spy Virginia Hall, alongside Stana Katic (playing Vera Atkins) and RAH dee kah Ahp tay (playing Noor Inayat Khan). The project, released by IFC Films, has won numerous awards including the Anti-Defamation League "Stand Up" Award presented at the 2020 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and the "Audience Choice" award (in record numbers) at the Whistler Film Festival. INDIEWIRE called Thomas "the standout here, with the multi-hyphenate not only taking on the film's meatiest role as real-life spy figure Virginia Hall, but also writing and producing the feature."​​

Sarah's previous film was the groundbreaking "Equity," in which she created the concept, co-wrote the story, produced, and starred. A first of its kind, "Equity" is a female driven Wall Street thriller. Sarah was honored with a Women's Image Network Award, Creative Coalition Spotlight Award, and Voice of A Woman Award for "Equity." ​​

Sarah also starred in the romance-drama "Backwards" opposite James Van Der Beek and has appeared in various television shows including "Law and Order, SVU." She has also starred in numerous Off-Broadway productions.​

Sarah is an athlete in her personal life, enjoying nearly all sports from basketball to yoga. She has climbed to the top of Mt. Rainer in Washington, and sea-kayaked in Alaska.​

Sarah currently resides in downtown New York City with her husband, son and daughter.

Watch A Call To Spy on Amazon

and on iTunes.

Find out more about A Call To Spy on their website here.

You can also follow Sarah on Instagram,

and Twitter.

In this special episode, Gangotri Garg, Mansi Goel and I are talking about how this presidency has heightened racism, and how it has effected them personally. We are talking about what is at stake collectively with Election 2020.

It is imperative that we, white people, vote with our humanity. ESPECIALLY this election. Look into our hearts. Understand that for us as white people, nothing will change if Donald Trump remains president. Nothing. For people of color, their lives are at stake. This is not political. This is factual. We each have been witness to the racist comments the president makes. This is an unavoidable truth. So please, my white friends, listen to our episode here.

Wow, what a fantastic talk today with one of my favorite authors, Paula Brackston! Paula is a New York Times bestselling author and her witch series is a pure delight. Last month I finished her book, The Winter Witch and am now reading The Witch's Daughter. Paula's books are perfect for this Halloween month! In today's episode we talked about her books, including her Found Things series, and a good treat bag full of her other-worldly books. I can't wait to share this episode with you- a great break in the wild storm of 2020. We all need moments to decompress. Reading Paula's books is my way of transporting to another space in time, if even for a bit, to get that much needed escape. Have a listen so that you may do the same!

Paula Brackston is a New York Times bestselling author of The Witch's Daughter, and the sequel, The Return of the Witch. She has also written The Winter Witch, The Silver Witch and The Midnight Witch. Her new books are a time travel series set in the historic market town of Marlborough, where Xanthe Westlake and her mother buy a run down antique shop. Different treasures sing to her, and she travels back in time with them to solve their mystery.

Paula grew up in Wales and now lives in the ancient border city of Hereford, with her partner and their two children. And three cats and two dogs! When she is not writing, she loves going for long walks and enjoys movies and photography. Paula has also just finished filming her first short film, which she is about to edit.

Find Paula here:

www.paulabrackston.com

Find Paula on Facebook

and Instagram

BOOKS BY PAULA BRACKSTON:

The Winter Witch

The Witch's Daughter

The Little Shop of Found Things

Once Upon a Crime: A Grimm Brothers Mystery

It was my honor to talk with Myisha T. Hill today, and I am grateful for her openness, in our conversation about mental health. This was personal for both of us. Although we have both struggled with mental illness, our experiences within the healthcare system have been very different. In today's episode we are talking about cultural competency, diagnosis, treatment, and cultural stigmas towards mental illness.

Myisha T is a mental health activist, speaker, and entrepreneur passionate about mental wellness and empowerment for women.

In 2018, Myisha became curious about white women and privilege after ending a relationship with a co-worker that negatively impacted her mental health. This led her to identify her own internalized oppression and racism. Not interested in throw-away culture, she decided to seek out safe ways that white folks are showing up for BIWoC.

During Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, Myisha began her Check Your Privilege interview series inquiring into the work some white women are doing to show up safely for BIPoC and move beyond passive ally-ship to action driven co-conspirators.

Myisha works with organizations and community groups taking white people on a self-reflective journey exploring their relationship with power, privilege, and racism.

You can connect with Myisha T. Hill through Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn

• Check Your Privilege
• Brown Sister Speak
• Anti-Racism Courses from Myisha T. Hill
• Contribute to the Brown Sisters Speak Therapy Fund

Peshawn Bread is a filmmaker who is going to the places we are not always willing to talk about in our daily lives, but need to. Through her new film in production, The Daily Life of Mistress Red, Peshawn is reframing how we look at sexuality and indigenous women. As a Comanche woman and a former dominatrix, Peshawn found herself in situations where racism would come into play, during sessions with her white male clients. Over time, there began a BDSM relationship where Peshawn confronted their white supremacy. This became a transformative experience and fostered a deeper understanding of race for these clients. The Daily Life of Mistress Red is about reclaiming narratives about sexuality as an indigenous women. This film is currently in the Sundance Film Lab.

The Daily Life of Mistress Red is a mockumentary that explores the world of kink, native women and defeating white supremacy. Marie Callingbird is a Native fashion boutique owner by day and Mistress Red by night. Mistress Red is a dominatrix for hire who takes the effects of racism, sexism and colonization into her own hands by educating white supremacists through pleasure. This project focuses on issues within the circle of indigenous women, racism and the acceptance of sexuality. In the winter of 2015 she was introduced and welcomed as one of Sundance Institute's Full Circle Kellogg Fellows. As well a 2015-16 recipient of the 4thWorld- Indigenous Media Lab Fellowship supported by SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival) and in partnership with Longhouse Media, Sundance and ITVS. She also attended the Sundance Screenwriter's lab hosted by Joan Tewksbury. Throughout the years she has worked on many sets from Drunktown's Finest (2014) to Mud (Hashtl'ishnii) (2017). She currently resides in San Francisco where she is a fourth year student at the Academy of Art University. Follow Peshawn on Instagram.

As you can guess, I was extremely nervous about interviewing a journalist as respected and accomplished as Astrid Martinez. But she immediately put me at ease with her down-to-earth personality and empathy, which I think are two of the qualities that make her a superlative journalist.

Astrid Martinez is an intensely insightful, 3x Emmy award-winning broadcast journalist, based in Atlanta Georgia, at CBS46. She is the creator and host of entertainment/culture segment "Astrid in the ATL" at CBS46. The segment explores film and TV industry, music, art, and race and culture. Astrid has also tackled topics ranging from immigration, homeland security, drug cartels, violence along the border and human trafficking.

In our interview we talked about the current civil unrest and protests we are experiencing in America, fueled by a racist agenda in the Whitehouse. We also talked about how the stories we are hearing in the media have the power to shape our perceptions of each other. Astrid goes on to say "I have great friends who are allies that say yes, forever we've told our own stores, let's look at other beautiful stories and let's tell them."

Growing up in Colombia, Astrid saw first-hand the civil and political unrest that plagued her country. It was this type of upheaval and the people's lives it affected that first ignited her passion for storytelling and a career in journalism. After moving to the United States, Astrid graduated with top honors from Montclair State University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and a concentration in Latin American Studies. Follow Astrid on Instagram here.

It was a thrill and an honor to talk with B. Monét, Director this week! In her films, B.Monét poses questions about identity, society, race, and culture. It is vital to her that under-represented people are shown in film, media, and television. In this episode, we are talking about her most recent film, Ballet After Dark, which is a pure joy to watch. It is a magnificent celebration of the freedom from pain that dance can give. Last week I talked with the amazing Tyde-Courtney Edwards, whom this film is centered around. B.Monet was selected as one of the winners for the Queen Collective in partnership with Queen Latifah, Tribeca and P&G for Ballet After Dark. B.Monet is a writer/director, a graduate of Spelman College, and holds an MFA from New York University in Film and Television with a concentration in writing and directing. Watch Ballet After Dark is now streaming on Amazon Prime and Hulu.