Waters of Change
What will be the story of us; how do we learn it, how do we tell it; how does that lodge in us and shape how we live?
With an intimate understanding, to truly know the hurt of our history is to heal.
Together we take responsibility for our universal history. The prominence of our Nation's powerful voices of color continue to share their truth, and we are met with opportunity.
On the Side of Right
This film is a short story of America—a small offering to face history and ourselves while repairing and reconstructing our shared future.
At Dawn, St. Augustine Beach, Florida, we enter the waters alongside Gigi Lucas. Only 56 years earlier, at the exact location, a group of 75 white segregationists attacked 100 African Americans attempting to wade into the "White-only" water. A movement that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
It is with a deep reverence for the bravery of the men, women, and children of the civil rights movement that we watch Gigi revel in this freedom. An experience that at one time, not long enough ago, was deemed unlawful.
A right that, by the laws of nature, belong to everyone.
Sea Us Now.
A short film inspired by African American beach culture and vintage surf culture. Rewriting the narrative of this nostalgic age alongside the babes of Textured Waves, and seen through the lens of filmmaker Bethany Mollenkof.
WITH A ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION MODERATED BY SELEMA MASEKELA
"In the U.S. today, 60% of African American children can’t swim, compared to 30% of white children. This is the legacy of stolen cultures, racial discrimination and blocked access to the ocean – a wild space that should offer free refuge for all.
In the U.S., governmental policy and institutionalized racism meant brown and black skinned folks were excluded from the booming aquatic culture during the first half of the 20th century – when surfing, swimming and scuba all went mainstream."
"In 'Sea Us Now' we reimagine African American’s relationship with an open coastline and the sea. A representation of our history and one that we were not afforded the opportunity to partake in.
We glorify our natural hair, glowing melanin, and curvature of our figures. As we are now. We challenge the viewer to examine the time period that is often reflected on with nostalgia, but don’t intend for the viewer to remain stuck in historical narratives. We hope that this films serves as an inspirational piece to future generations, that despite history we can create pathways for what we want to see for ourselves, now and in the future."
- Chelsea Woody of Textured Waves
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