The film industry has not been kind to African-American women.

Over the years, black women in many cases have been typecast and had to portray roles that were less than flattering.

in the many years of the Academy Awards, there has only been one black woman to win an Oscar for directing, and that just happened a few years ago.

Black women on average are paid 38% less than white men and 21% less than white women.

The film industry is controlled by the patriarchy.

Misogyny, racism, prejudice and other forms of oppression are still very real and prevalent in television, film, radio and all forms of media.

It's a systemic problem rooted in white supremacy.

What are some women doing to break down these barriers and challenge the status quo?

This is our last show for International Women's History Month.

We wanted to highlight some phenomenal black women who are making moves and blazing trails for others to follow.

Hello, I'm Phillip Davis, the host of Courageous Conversations.

We're broadcasting from the PPL Public Media Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Joining me today to talk about African-American women in the film industry are Ewurakua Dawson-Amoah, writer, director, sound mixer, CEO and founder of the Melacast Network, Jacinth Headlam, an actress, TV model, author and producer, Emelyn Stuart, the CEO and president of Stuart Films LLC, an independent theater owner and a producer as well.

Ladies, thank you for taking the time to join me this morning.

I'm so excited to have you all, specifically it being International Women's History Month.

Jacinth, I want to just jump right in.

I want to come to you first.

You know, we've talked.

And you were working at Starbucks, you know, not many years ago.

And now you're on the big screen.

What happened to you?

Like, how did you go from making macchiatos to doing what you're doing right now?

- I'm just a girl with a dream who chose and made the choice and was intentional about not giving up, not living or residing in anyone's shadow, not being what someone else expects of me, like your family, parents.

Right?

So, yeah, I had a dream.

And I've always been passionate about the film industry, about being an actress and artist, and I just followed through with it, and I did the work and hard work definitely pays off.

And I always say you've got to give gas something to blast, right?

- Yes, absolutely.

It really does.

Just really impressed with the work that you're doing.

So as a African-American woman with a Jamaican background, what significant challenges have you faced in the industry, coming from the Caribbean?

- Oh, my goodness, my accent.

So, there are certain words that you might hear when it kicks in and out, right?

So when I do auditions, they're like, where are you from?

And I was like, oh, Jamaica, - Jamaica, yeah!

- Jamaica, man!

So I would say definitely not trying to be typecast because of my accent.

Yes, I would say that that's in my dialect.

And definitely I try to keep it under wraps and try to be very intentional about annunciating and making sure I pronounce certain things.

And so it's definitely been challenging for sure.

- Now, Ewurakua, you're a recent grad from NYU, a producer, writer, director and now a CEO.

Can you talk to us a little bit about what is the Melacast Network and its purpose?

Like, what inspired you to break out and start a company?

- Yeah.

So the Melacast Network, we're a platform for BIPOC film creatives, so black indigenous people of color, and we cater to creatives who are marginalized and have typically been stereotyped on the film screen.

And the way this came about was when I went to NYU, I noticed right away that there was a stark difference in representation both in front of and behind the camera.

When I was looking for talent, I wasn't able to find people that I wanted to tell the stories I wanted to tell.

And on film sets, I wasn't able to see people that look like me working in director roles, writer roles, even production crew roles.

So I noticed that there needed to be a place for filmmakers and actors and writers and creatives to come together and feel like they had a safe space to create and tell genuine stories.

- That's amazing.

So you deal with folks in front of and behind the camera.

So all areas of film.

And did you get pushback because you're focusing specifically on folks in the BIPOC community from your white counterparts?

- Absolutely.

When I first had the idea, I went to one of my professors and I told him about what I wanted to do.

And I said, this is going to be a platform built by BIPOC for BIPOC.

And the first thing he said to me was, oh, but how are the white people in your class going to feel?

Aren't they going to feel left out?

And I found this really interesting because I was talking to him in a class where I was the only black girl in a school where there was very limited diversity.

And the first question that he had for me was, what about the white people?

And that was very telling for me.

It was really telling about who this industry caters to and who they think about first.

And so although that was my first pushback and I did get questions like that, as I continued to go on with my company, it also let me know that this company needs to exist.

It needs to be here because I understood that when people think film, they automatically think, how can we cater to white, Not how can we cater to people of color.

- That's amazing.

That's amazing.

So I want to I want to go to Emelyn because she's a CEO, a producer of film, a film producer and owns a theater.

Emily, can you talk a little bit about, you know, your organization and what inspired you to start a theater, you know, in New York City?

- So I was producing independent projects for several years and I was faced with a lot of closed doors, a lot of no's with funding, with getting...

Theatrical distribution was a nightmare.

And, you know, I recently did a faith based film.

And when I got that no again, for the hundredth time, I said, you know what?

I'm just going to build my own theater.

This way I can control the narrative.

I can give independent filmmakers an opportunity to decide if their movie should be in a theater.

And that was how I decided to build Stuart Cinema.

- Well, how has Stuart Cinema functioned during the pandemic?

I mean, we're just coming to a year of, of course, the worst pandemic that we've seen in 100 years, but somehow or another, you've been able to not only stay afloat, but continue to do the work that you're passionate about.

How did that happen?

- You know, I definitely was not ready.

Nothing could have prepared me for what was coming.

But, you know, I did exactly what I do best, which is serve, and so I opened the theater up to the community.

I allowed them to come in and use our laptops to apply for unemployment.

We provide a DVD so people could still watch movies at home for free.

We provided food to people in the community.

And so the theater really is a community hub and a resource center.

It's a monetizing warehouse for artists, but it's also a community based movie theater that's used for a lot of different organizations.

We even have a church that meets there on Sunday morning.

And yeah, so that giving back is the way we were able to stay alive.

- That's exciting.

You were really able to remake yourself and to find ways to pour into your community and to create a space for independent filmmakers.

So economically how does that work for you?

I mean, as it relates to the costs and how you stay afloat.

- That's a great question, because I couldn't find any money to build the theater.

I had already raised money for independent film projects over the years, and I was sure that people would want to invest in this movie theater.

But because I was so concentrated in serving artists, it was difficult to find money.

And so I ended up liquidating all of my assets, betting all of my money on me and the industry.

But the theater does, it is profitable, because we have regular movies, we have independent events.

We have all kinds of opportunities to monetize the space.

- That's super exciting.

You pursued your dream and did what was necessary to make it happen.

And I want to go back to what you said, because I just saw a trailer on Facebook that you're a part of a new screenplay called A Cup Full of Crazy, Jacinth.

A Cup Full Of Crazy.

Can you tell us about that and maybe give us a little piece about Love After, your book, as well?

Because I think it's important for people to understand that you guys are all out here making moves and doing all you can to fulfill your dream.

Talk about the film and a little bit about Love After.

- Absolutely.

So A Cup Full Of Crazy is a psychological thriller that we'll be filming this summer, directed and created and written by Jillian Bullock.

So I'm excited about that.

And what I love about this film is even though it's wrapped around me as a MMA fighter and trainer, it's really about the bringing of mental awareness.

So it was... And Jillian, her being a veteran and her dealing with mental health and a lot of the soldiers that go through PTSD and trauma is what really spiked her to do this film.

Yes, she's doing some amazing thing because mental health is real.

And I've dealt with it, too, you know, going through with my Love After journey and platform.

And that stemmed from me going through a divorce and with two young kids involved.

And that was probably one of the worst traumas I've ever been through, because nothing or no one prepared me for divorce with young kids in my 20s and starting all over again.

So that's where Love After came from.

When I was able to get up and heal from that, I'm like, OK, you know what?

I just felt like I can do this.

There's love after my hurt.

There's love after my pain.

If only I can just get to a place of finding my new identity and come to a place of restoration and healing, if I can just get up and stay up, I can now pay it forward and let other people know who go through traumatic experiences like, look, it's not the end of the road.

Like, you can keep walking, you can keep standing.

There's love after this, whatever it is.

Whether it's abuse, addiction, relationship traumas, childhood trauma, that I've also dealt with, there's love after that.

And the book, it's so amazing.

I released that.

Actually I have my launch at Emelyn's theater!

Yes!

- Wonderful.

- There was a sold out book launch at Emelyn's theater.

Thank you so much for being a blessing to me, Emelyn.

And it was amazing, the love that I received in February of 2019.

And then that year I toured.

That book took me to Nigeria to speak to schools out there.

It took me to speak to schools in London, Canada, Grand Cayman Island, Jamaica.

And when God gave me the vision and said, look, Love After is not just for you, Love After healing is global.

I didn't know what he meant, but I was obedient.

And now the book is now a series which I start filming in May.

- That's amazing.

And, you know, I was here in screenplay coming at that.

So that's cool.

But the thing about each of you, what I see is that you were willing to pursue your dreams, right?

Even against the advice of others.

Probably the advice of family sometimes.

But you were willing to push forward.

Ewurakua, you have an interesting story as it relates to switching schools because of what a counselor told you.

Can you share that story?

I think it's really important because it will help maybe someone else break out of the box and be willing to pursue their own dreams.

- Yeah, of course.

So as long as I can remember, I knew that I wanted to enter the film industry.

And even though I was young, I saw on screen that there were not women that looked like me.

I would read the credits and I knew there weren't women that looked like me.

So I knew I wanted to enter an industry that was not built for me and I had to find a way to be OK with that.

And so when I finally got to high school, I told my guidance counselor that I wanted to go to NYU, I had all of my plan laid out for her.

I knew exactly what I wanted to do, how I wanted to pursue this major.

And she looked at me.

She wasn't really paying attention to what I was saying.

And she was like, I don't think you're going to get in.

You should try to apply to a safety school instead.

Just leave it as a dream.

It's not going to happen.

And that really, really hurt me because here's a guidance counselor, someone who's supposed to guide you, someone who's supposed to help you reach your dreams, and she just simply told me that it wasn't going to happen.

So that night I went home and I researched a bunch of schools and there was one that stuck out to me, and I read about their guidance counselors and saw how they treated their students.

And in my head, I was just like, I have to go to this school.

I don't care that I'm going to be a senior.

I'm going to be a new student.

I don't care.

I need to go to this school.

And I sat my family down and at this point, they hadn't even known that I wanted to be in the film industry at all.

Up until this point, I told my family that I wanted to be a doctor.

But based on what the guidance counselor said, I knew that if I didn't have the support of my family, I wasn't going to have the support of anyone.

And so I sat them down.

I was like, listen, I'm going to apply to this school.

If I get in, get a scholarship, I'm going to go and I'm going to apply to NYU.

Do you support me?

And thankfully, they were really supportive and they said yes.

And so that year I left, I went to the school.

My guidance counselor was amazing and I got into NYU.

I'm following my dream of becoming a director.

- And the rest is history - The rest is history.

- And your story hasn't even begun to be written yet.

We just believe that you're going to continue to do tremendous things.

I do have another question for you, though.

Why did you do the movie To The Girl Who Looks Like Me?

Because it received wonderful acclaim and responses.

What was the impetus for that?

You kind of mentioned it, but if you could talk briefly about it as well.

- Yeah.

So that that film was born...

I was just sitting and I was trying to think of a story that really means a lot to me.

And I thought back on my childhood, growing up as one of the only black girls in most of my classes, not feeling comfortable in my skin, not feeling comfortable with my hair in these white spaces.

And I wanted to make a film that another little girl that looked like me would be able to see and understand that there was space for her not just in the industry that she chooses to go into, but also in the world.

I wanted little girls that watched my movies to know that there's a space for them, period.

And it's interesting, because the year before was actually the year I decided to start Melacast, because I was writing a script and I was trying to cast two Ghanaian sisters for the lead roles.

And I just could not find Ghanaian sisters on the platforms that my school gave me.

And so that's why I decided to start Melacast.

So To The Girl That Looks Like Me, I decided to completely cast non actors, people from parts of my life that meant a lot to me.

So I went to my old school and I casted girls from there.

I went to my church, I casted girls from there and I went to people that didn't know that they would be able to be in film, because I wanted to spark that desire and spark that passion in other little girls that were probably getting told no as well.

So the story is really just a love letter to little black girls everywhere who are sitting in a guidance counselor's office and being told that they can't reach their dreams.

- Yeah, that is so inspirational.

That's amazing work.

So, Emelyn, you've created upwards of 19 cinematic works in your career thus far.

You've done work with NATO and with Senator Chuck Schumer.

Can you talk a little bit about that and maybe what's coming up, what we can expect to see from you?

- Yes.

So I have been producing for the last ten years, and I've been fortunate to have some of my projects win awards and be on TV.

And when I built the theater, I wanted to join NATO, which is the National Association of Theater Owners, one, because there aren't a lot of female theater owners, there aren't a lot of minority theater owners in any sense of the word.

And so I joined the organization, but I really wanted to be active.

I didn't want to be a silent participant.

- Right.

- And so when there was an opportunity to lobby, I felt like I was the perfect example of why we needed movie theaters to be supportive, because there were so many people depending on my venue for their success.

And I felt a lot of pressure.

And NATO taught me how to lobby.

And so I started to lobby politicians and I spoke to Chuck Schumer's office.

And really he understood what we were trying to do, especially independent movie theaters, and especially for me, because I had everything invested in this theater, because I really believed.

I had a lot of skin in the game.

- Right.

- And so he was amazing in helping and yeah, and so then I'm currently working with the mayor's office as a mentor for small businesses in New York City.

And so I've been able to... You know, because there's a lot of power in politics.

And sometimes part of the bigger issue in our community is that we don't have access to sit at the table and have a voice - So true.

- And that was so important.

And one of the ways to do that is politics.

It's being able to talk to the people who control the laws and make decisions that affect us as a people.

And so that had me getting involved with that.

And I'm launching my own video-on-demand platform, sort of my own Netflix, next week.

- Wonderful.

- Yay!

Yeah!

And I thought that that was super important, because we have Netflix, but Netflix can only take so many movies.

- That's right.

- And we can't rely on these video on demand platforms to show our story, to represent us.

And hopefully in the future, I hope to build a business school for artists.

- Wonderful.

You are making moves and we're so excited to have you.

Ewurakua, I got to ask you a question.

So you're the CEO of Melacast, right?

And the creator.

When you go into these spaces, sit at the executive boardroom, are you respected as a CEO and how's the how's the reception to you as a black woman?

- So when I first started talking to people about getting this company moving, it was definitely harder because not only was I dealing with the tension in the room, I was dealing with internal imposter syndrome.

I feel like so many black women when we enter these spaces, we automatically feel like we have to prove ten times that we belong in those spaces.

And so I was entering these rooms looking at these people and I'm like, OK, I'm a woman, I'm black.

No one looks like me, should I even be here?

And I had to just constantly give myself pep talks like, you belong here, your company matters.

You need to tell this story.

And once I started doing that, I started carrying myself like, yes, I belong here and I'm going to sit down.

And once I started carrying myself with that energy and that confidence, the rest kind of followed suit.

And so people kind of feed off of how much do you know about yourself and your worth.

And as long as you're walking into these spaces knowing your worth, people are going to kind of match that.

And every now and then, it is a challenge.

And sometimes I'll enter meetings and people will address my male co-founder before they address me.

And I'll kind of have to be like, no, no, no.

I'm the founder.. - "I'm the CEO!"

- Exactly.

And so it really just is me constantly reminding myself that I need to tell this story and I need to keep this company growing.

And as long as I do that, as long as I'm in that headspace where I know that I belong, it becomes much easier.

- Yeah.

I think that's going to be so inspirational for so many other young people of color, to be able to see a CEO or CEOs, right?

And to really be able to see that I can become and I do belong at the table.

I mean, that is just so huge because many times we can't be what we can't see.

Now, Jacinth, you are a QVC model.

Many of our viewers may recognize you.

Are there other QVC models of color?

Right.

I see you doing your model thing!

Are there other QVC models of color and is there a color barrier, you think, within QVC?

- There's definitely models of color.

Are we outnumbered?

Absolutely.

It's all about catering to your buyers.

I mean, it's business.

So I get it.

But like we're all saying, it's all about that thing of inclusion.

But if your buyers and who is shopping are predominantly retired Caucasian retirees on a couch, then that's what you're going to cater to, right?

- Sure.

- So I get it.

You know, it's business.

That's like if I'm making a film and I want to cater to mostly Caribbean people because that's my story, just like Melacast, we want to cater to people of color.

So I get it.

It's business.

Absolutely.

But are we outnumbered?

Yeah.

Sure.

And I think it's consistent across the board.

And, you know, there's many protests that are going on for the Emmys and the Academy Awards, talking about diversity and people taking the stage to be able to share their perspectives.

So I want to give each of you a minute just to give some inspiration to maybe another young woman out there who may want to break into the film industry at some level.

Ewurakua, I'm going to start with you.

What would you say to just inspire someone to continue or to follow their dreams?

- The biggest inspiration I can give is don't compromise if you know that your vision is something you need to carry out.

A lot of people will try to tell you to stop and to move back, but if you know that you're passionate about something, you just have to see it through.

Don't be humble, know your worth and find your seat at the table and sit down and stay there.

That's the biggest piece of advice I can give.

- Wonderful, wonderful.

Emelyn, what about yourself?

What would you say?

- You know, I would say that there is no one qualified to tell you that you cannot be who you want to be.

- Wow.

Yes.

- And do what you want to be.

There's no one qualified.

If you look at anyone's qualifications, they do not know what's inside of you.

They do not know what you can accomplish.

- Yes.

- So don't take their word as the law, because it's not.

- Real quick, you have an opening coming.

- April 2nd.

We're opening.

Yeah.

New seats and new everything.

New menu.

I think we're going to be playing that new Godzilla movie.

- And for you, Jacinth, what would you say just to inspire someone?

- Absolutely.

I would say just know that you're enough.

And oftentimes we find ourselves constantly seeking validation and confirmation from others instead of within, instead of our creator.

But just know that you're enough and stay true to yourself.

Stop looking for answers outside of you.

So I think it's just knowing that you're enough.

And don't compromise that at all.

If God gave you the vision, he'll make provision.

But you have to seek within, you know what I mean.

People can steer you wrong.

And especially with social media, we're in an era of comparison and trying to live up to social media and what this person is doing.

"Am I there yet?"

And constantly measuring yourself based on what's on social media.

So it's very hard.

But you really have to constantly remind yourself that, look, I'm enough.

I'm the only one that can carry out this vision, because it was given to me.

- Uh huh.

- You're a visionary.

- Wow, that's amazing.

I got to say, you know, when I think about a lot of times we look to those people who are on the big screen and, you know, doing major things.

To hear each of your stories really speaks to the strength of a black woman.

You've all had to endure so much in your lives, but yet you've found the innate strength and capacity to press through the barriers, to fight through the racism, the oppression and the prejudice to really arrive and to do the work that you're doing.

And the good thing is the work is not done.

The book's still being written.

All right?

You're in chapter whatever of your life.

I'm extremely blessed to know you and extremely blessed to watch you grow and watch your work become, you know.

So I just want to thank you all for taking the time to come on and join me this morning.

You know, there are many people in the Lehigh Valley doing courageous work to engage and enhance the lives of others, and we would like to put them in the spotlight.

Now you got to go to PBS39.org/courageous.

And if you go there and put their name in and tell us a little bit about what they're doing, we'll make sure to highlight them and spot them.

I'm Phillip Davis.

And on behalf of everyone here at PBS39, thanks for watching.

Tune in Tuesday night at 6.30 right here on PBS39.

All right.

We'll see you then.

Take care.