(upbeat flute music) (upbeat hip hop music) - Hello, everybody.

Welcome to Black Nouveau.

I'm Earl Arms, and this is our December edition.

This month is a time for holidays, family, and tradition.

Black Arts MKE's annual production of Langston Hughes' Black Nativity is back, after being sidelined last year because of COVID-19.

Alexandria Mack talks with director Dimonte Henning about this year's production.

Liddie Collins takes us on a classic visit to the home of Helen Gee, and her unique Christmas decorations.

James Causey talks with Doctor Kweku Ramel Smith, who has some helpful tips for maintaining good mental health during what could be stressful holiday times.

But, we begin with Kwanzaa, an African-American cultural celebration, from December 6th through the first of January.

Since 1987, Wisconsin's biggest Kwanzaa celebration has been held at Wisconsin's Black Historical Society.

Its founder, Clayborn Benson, will join us in just a few minutes to talk about the plans for this year's celebration.

But first, we'll visit the Mahogany Gallery in Racine, where there's a Kwanzaa exhibit, celebrating the guiding principles of Kwanzaa, the Nguzo Saba.

(upbeat music) - [Alexandria] Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Ujamaa, Nia, Kuumba, and Imani.

These are the seven principles of Kwanzaa.

These principles are being celebrated, in the Nguzo Saba Art Exhibition, at Mahogany Gallery, in Racine.

Nguzo Saba means seven principles.

Translated, these principles are unity, self-determination, collective work, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

- The exhibition is about one of those seven principles of Kwanzaa.

And, what I've asked the artists to do is create a piece that represents one of those principles, and then, keep it up to the interpretation of the viewer.

So when people come in, to see the artwork, their interpretation of what that piece meant, resonating with them.

Which principle resonates with them.

- [Alexandria] Black Nouveau got a chance to visit the gallery, and speak with founder Scott Terry about what inspired him to open the exhibit.

- [Scott] Well, I thought it was unique.

I've never seen one here, regionally, I should say, Wisconsin.

I thought it'd be different.

I thought it would be a different approach to exhibiting artwork.

But also, something I really honor is our heritage as a people, and as a culture.

- Last year, the Wisconsin Black Historical Society went virtual with its Kwanzaa celebration.

This year, it's back in person.

And, we're joined by Clayborn Benson, the third.

Thank you so much for joining us, Mr Benson.

- I'm honored to.

We will do it in real life this time, with a few restrictions.

We don't want anybody to come there and gets COVID, so there will be some limitations, and some pre-planning that goes into it.

But, we're excited about being back again.

Thank you.

- And you should be, but I'm wondering, what's going to be unique?

What's different about the celebration this time around?

- I don't know if there's ever anything unique about Kwanzaa, other than it gives you an opportunity to review and to understand who you are.

It tells you to reaffirm your African roots.

Who are we?

We are African people living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Sometimes we forget that.

And so (laughs) it is so important that we bring back Kwanzaa every year.

- So, talk about Kwanzaa.

Talk about why we should celebrate it.

What should we know?

What do the people need to know about Kwanzaa?

- Oh, so there's different stages.

We do the community Kwanzaa.

Then there's obviously the international Kwanzaa, where there's 20 million people all over the world that are celebrating Kwanzaa as it's grown through- given to us by Doctor Maulana Karenga and the US Organization out of Los Angeles, California.

But the real secret to Kwanzaa is how it changes your life.

How you and your family sit down together on a given day, say the first day.

We'll do it publicly the first day, and do it the second day, Kujichagulia.

How do we learn how to have self-determination, Umoja... how do we do we stick together, and recognize that we are a family, and we are very important?

All of those principles have meanings, and they apply to every aspect of our lives.

And so, it's an opportunity for the husband, the wife, to address issues within the family, to better that family, through the seven principles of Nguzo Saba.

And that happens, it happens with them sitting down, it happens with them discussing not only the principle, but then what's wrong.

Why isn't daddy going to church?

Why does Sally, using that as hypothetical example, is not doing good in school?

What is the issue?

But you can resolve those issues inside of our Kwanzaa principles.

And it's a time to reflect that.

It's also, it's an opportunity to revisit those concerns in the course of the year that you're gonna be going through it.

- Is there any principle that's more important than the other, or a principle that stands out to you the most?

- All of them are important.

But if you ask me, let me say Kujichagulia, is that determination principle.

Another principle is, is Umoja.

Unity, sticking together, and seeing the total picture.

A very important picture- principle is Kuumba.

Kuumba means creativity.

But, more than creativity, it tells us that every one of us are different.

And we have a responsibility to respect each other.

Kuumba means, people could see it in the terms of art, see it in terms of music, dance, but each one of those things are different, just as you and I are different.

I have a responsibility to respect you, regardless of your differences.

And you, in turn, have a responsibility to respect.

- So quickly, how do we celebrate Kwanzaa the right way?

What do you tell families, what do you tell people out there how do we celebrate it with respect?

- Oh, not to be afraid of it.

To embrace it, to use the principles, and the words in a way in which they feel good to you, to sit down, even if it's on the floor, because you're going to, your least common denominator, and you're all working together.

It's a tool to address the issues that keeps this glue and this family together.

That is what it is.

It's not a religious holiday.

It's a culture holiday.

And it's celebrated all over the world with African people.

- Clayborn Benson, thank you so much.

Always a pleasure talking to you.

- As well.

Thank you.

(piano music) ♪ There was no room ♪ ♪ At the inn.

♪ ♪ I said there was no room ♪ ♪ No room at the inn ♪ ♪ When the time ♪ had surely come ♪ ♪ Sure ♪ ♪ For the savior ♪ ♪ to be born.

♪ ♪ Sure ♪ ♪ There was no room ♪ ♪ No room ♪ ♪ No room ♪ ♪ No room ♪ ♪ No room at the inn ♪ ♪ No room at the inn ♪ - [Alexandria] That's part of a song from the 2019 production of Langston Hughes' Black Nativity.

For much of the past decade, the Black Arts MKE production has been a holiday favorite here in Milwaukee.

Last yeah, COVID-19 intervened.

But this year, the show is back.

The show's director, Dimonte Henning joins me today to tell us a bit about it.

Welcome, Dimonte.

- Hi, thank you for having me.

- Thank you for joining us.

So three years ago, you were Joseph in the production, and this year, you're directing it.

So congratulations on that step up.

- Thank you.

- To my understanding, every year the show is a bit different.

So, can you start us off by telling us what audiences can expect with this year's show?

- Yeah.

You know, as you mentioned, in every year we do something different.

So this year, as you mentioned, we had to pause the show last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

And you know, that put a lot of people in a certain situation, mentally, physically, spiritually.

And then you talk about the Black Lives Matter movement, which has been going on for years, for decades.

We, as the black community, know the struggles that we face.

And so this year, I decided to go with the theme of "for the culture".

And what that means is, it's a direct approach, direct entertainment for the black community.

It is an opportunity for us to think about the joy that the birth of Jesus Christ has allowed us to have.

And because of his birth, we're able to make it through all of those challenging difficulties that we've had, even with the COVID-19 pandemic, even what's going on right now, with the Black Lives Matter movement.

So, we just want people to feel good, but to not ignore those challenges, but to just remember the reason for the season.

That's the birth of Jesus.

- I think throughout the pandemic, people holding on to rituals has been really important for getting through tough times.

Can you talk about why Black Nativity is so special, as far as it being a holiday tradition in the black community?

- Oh my goodness.

You know, our first rehearsal, I asked the cast, "What brings you joy?"

And, you know, just hearing their responses, just hearing them say, "Being here on this stage," "Going back to theater, that gives me joy."

But there was something that somebody said.

And they said, "Being in a room full of black people, where I can fully be myself, that's just a beautiful feeling."

And you know, sometimes we don't get to do that a lot, especially in Milwaukee.

So, this is an opportunity, it's a special opportunity for the black community.

We have a lot of gospel music that is rooted in, you know, spirituals in the black community.

So, it's just been a very positive message, and a positive response that we've been getting from our cast.

And something to look forward to, with the audience.

- And lastly, Dimonte, this is a Black Arts MKE production, can you tell our viewers what Black Arts MKE is?

- Yeah, Black Arts MKE, well their mission is to increase the availability and the quality of African-American arts in the city of Milwaukee.

And they do that each year by producing shows, like Black Nativity.

And they also work with organizations such as Brownsville Art Ensemble, Lights, Camera, Soul, and Empower Theater Group.

And their mission, as I said before, is to just increase that quality of art in the black community.

One thing that I'm particularly excited about for this production, as I mentioned before, is that we have so many new faces.

And this is a great opportunity for the audience to get to know some of these new faces.

And another chance for our actors to just be on stage, doing their craft, and perfecting their craft.

So, I'm looking forward to that.

(upbeat music) - This holiday season is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year.

But for many people, that's not the case.

Some may feel increased financial burdens, others may feel a heightened sense of loneliness if they aren't with their loved ones.

Doctor Kweku Ramel Smith is here to give us some tips for practicing good mental health during this time of the year.

Thanks for joining us.

- Thanks for having me.

- Well, this is such an important topic.

Let's start with this.

64% of those with mental health conditions say their conditions worsened during this time of the year.

Why is that?

- Yeah, for a combination of the reasons that you just talked about.

You know, there's financial concerns, there's concerns of intimacy.

And we always talk about, you know, the spike in depression, the spike in even suicidal, right?

At this time, and shortly after the holiday season.

Because even though it's the most wonderful time of the year, when we don't have those things that we perceive that make it the most wonderful time, it exacerbates our sadness in our minds.

- How would you go about fighting those urges?

Like, how do you practice good mental health?

- Yeah, you know, it's three things that I tell people you always want to do.

You want to practice good sleep, good diet, and exercise.

Now those are three things that we control and we know what to do, but it's very difficult to discipline ourselves to do it.

But we have to recognize that there's a connection between the mind and the body.

The more we condition our body, the better it helps to heal our mind.

- So, we're dealing with COVID still, and I think a lot of us are going through COVID fatigue.

- Yes sir.

- You throw COVID on top of holiday celebrations, and what do you have?

What does that do to people?

- Yeah, I mean, you have a recipe for disaster.

We have to be honest with it, and so what we have to do I say, before you can adequately solve a problem, you have to be able to define it.

So we have to recognize that COVID is real, COVID is still going on, and we understand how COVID has diversified people, have made things even more divisive.

Are you vaccinated?

Are you not vaccinated?

Are you in my bubble?

Are you not in my bubble?

Are you being careful?

Are you not?

Are you bringing this to our mother, who's elderly?

And so, when you put all of those things, and all of the other things we just talked about, it adds another element to the mix.

And when you put those things together, you see what we see of the manifestation in our culture.

We see the rates in domestic violence.

We see the drive in rates go crazy, out of control.

We see the intimate violence go up, and so you say, "What can we do?"

Well, what we have to do is have a level of self-control.

And then, what we have to do is for the people who we love, if we see them out of control, we have to then lend that extra hand, because it's going to be connectivity.

It's not something we can do in isolation.

It's got to be a group project.

- It's interesting that you mentioned, you know, COVID like that.

How do you go about having that conversation?

Do you say, "Hey, you can't come to our holiday celebration because you're not vaccinated?"

How do you even bring up that conversation, knowing that people may still be hesitant on getting vaccinated?

- Yeah.

You have to be really careful, because if you're talking about COVID, let's be honest, when we talk about families, there's always some residual issues, and COVID is that extra thing that just can- but what you do is just say, "Hey these are the guidelines, these are the rules."

And what many people have, this is what we consider to be our bubble, this is what we consider to be safe.

Specifically if there's elders, there are people who are in that high risk population.

We say, "We're doing this for the safety of all people."

So, are we going to wear a mask?

Are we not going to wear a mask?

Are we going to have you in, or not?

That's something that to every family to do, but what you have to do is to recognize if you do eliminate a person, what's the artillery?

What's the auxiliary?

What's the alternative for them to be able to, those people to unite?

So even though they can't all be together, you can come together in some sense.

And even if those two parties, come together like in a Zoom, or FaceTime issue, that can bring, you got to be creative and innovative, in how we solve these issues.

- So, let's talk about this.

Like, seeking out help during this time of the year.

- Yeah.

- You know, a lot of us people of color, tend not to seek professional help.

How do you convince somebody that it is time for them to seek professional help?

- Yeah.

Well what you do is you say, "Look, it's your life."

You know, say, "Look how things are going."

And if there's those red flags that are just so clear that everybody sees, and say, "listen this is a cry for help.

I don't want to see this go to the extreme."

But what I tell people, is because there is this intensity to go to mental health.

What we have to do is to look at those alternative forms.

Because we say, what are the other things in which a person can do that then leads them to be able to come?

So we go back to those simple things of diet, of exercise, and of sleep.

And once we start to feel better, we see how those little things help, we can then go onto tackle bigger issues.

- What can you do, or like I do, to prevent someone from doing something to hurt themselves, as far as mental health is concerned?

Like, am I equipped to really have that conversation, or should I direct them to a professional?

- No, you know what?

It's not a either or, it's both.

If I see somebody who's hurt, if me asking them about suicide is not going to prevent them from stopping suicide, but it's also not going to put it into their mind.

So what I want to do, is I want to know what's going on, because people say, "Well, I'm nervous to talk about suicide."

Well, I said, "It's even worse to have to talk about the aftermath of a completed suicide."

So if I love you, I care about you, I'm going to ask those questions straight out.

And then I'm going to look for the answers to see if there's a match with the audio and the video.

If there's a mismatched thing, you know what I'm going to do?

I'm going to be more vigilant, the amount of pressure I put on you, as far as love, the presence I keep around you.

And then we keep talking about these situations.

Because this is the one thing we know.

If someone wants to commit suicide, they're going to do it.

But for those who don't really want to, but they're feeling that way, having connectivity and people there reduces that issue exponentially.

- This is one key question.

I saw a study that said that 60% of people say that social media is destructive to them, and it worsens their mental health.

- Yeah.

- How do you detox from social media?

- Yeah, you have to turn it off.

You know, and that's one of the things.

But it's addictive, and isn't that our culture?

When we're sad, what do we do?

Because if you're on social media, something in those receptors, our dopamine receptors, when we get a like, when we get somebody to talk about that, it attracts us.

But what's the double end of that side, the flip side of that coin?

It's I'm seeing everybody else who's putting out these images that look like they have something I don't have.

And that goes back to your original questions, for the holiday, I'm looking at somebody having something that I want, - Right.

- Even if it may not be real, but it's real to me, and that increases my pain.

- Thank you.

Thank you for this deep conversation.

Appreciate it.

- Thank you.

(upbeat music) - 11 years ago, Black Nouveau producer Liddie Collins visited the home of Helen Gee, to see her ethnic holiday collection.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Gee left us a few years ago.

But her spirit, and collection speak eloquently to the meaning of this holiday season.

[Helen]- And, she is fiber optic.

And she's African-American, with her braid and everything.

I think I found her in Sacramento, California.

- [Liddie] Oh, I was gonna ask you (laughs), where did you?

- [Helen] Sacramento.

My ornaments have to jump out at me.

I won't buy any kind of ornament, it has to make a statement.

- [Liddie] I like this right here.

- [Helen] This is my special tree.

I've been offered a lots of money for it, and- - [Liddie] Do you take a picture of it and put up the same?

Or, do you just?

remember how you had it?

- I don't take a picture to put it up the same because I feel all of God creation.

You see a tree, it's not perfect.

So, I just let it flow.

- This is the Helen Gee household, where the Christmas holiday is alive and well.

Since 1988, Helen has been doing crafts, and creating Christmas decorations, and yes, collecting Santas.

(Jingle Bells) (saxophone) (Jingle Bell Rock) But her collection is intact, ♪ That's the jingle bell, ♪ ♪ That's the jingle bell, ♪ - I might not have quite as much, but they will always be part of me.

- What was behind you starting this home decorating?

- It really started when my husband and I had our first child.

We didn't seen anything in the stores that represented who we were.

So, I started creating my own black Santas, black dolls, black whatever.

Not that I had anything against what was in the store, but I wanted our household to represent us.

I also like to do Christmas because of my deceased son.

My deceased son was the type of guy that always complimented me on everything I did, what I wore, and everything.

So when he died, I really kind of threw myself into doing more, and thank God for a good husband.

He allowed me to do this.

And so, it just became almost like a ritual.

- Was this a nurturing process to get you over your son, or help heal?

- I really do believe so.

So when he passed, August 19, 1988, I couldn't figure out how I was going to get through Christmas.

So, I decorated even more.

I tried to decorate, and I go back, and I reflect on what it was like when he was here, how he enjoyed Christmas.

So, I think yes, it was a healing process for me.

His and hers Santa on the left side, they all have arthritis in there now, if you hear the squeaky bones and things.

The one by the door, I think they were some of the first ones I bought.

And this guy here is about, on the fireplace, I would say, he's about, maybe, 10 to 15 years old.

- The Christmas tree is a family tree.

Her two deceased sisters are each represented by an angel.

- And this one here, this is representing my sister Jean, who had cancer.

- Oh, she has no hair.

- And I took all her hair off.

Most of the angels, she's from this family.

They have hair.

But I took it off, because Jean was having a hard time accepting her baldness.

- Okay.

- And this year, I have added another angel to my collection.

This is Essey, my sister Essey died in February, this year.

And she was 86 years and five months, so I only had two sisters.

I had five brothers.

But, this represents my two sisters.

Essey and Jean.

- Is this like having a family right here with you?

- Yes.

Yes, I got to figure out how to put my five brothers up there, (laughs) I don't know.

- I don't know how you're going to do that one.

- (laughs) Well, I started with one.

- There's one.

Helen's children are grown, and she now has grandchildren, but she says the biggest child of all is herself.

- I love Christmas.

I love just the festivity of it, I love having, we do what is called, I think my husband called it pop-in.

Christmas Eve, this has been tradition for us for the last 35, 40 years, maybe even longer.

- This pop-in consists of gumbo, family, and friends.

- We have sometime, up to 40 people, on Christmas Eve.

And, I guess I give credit to my husband because just about every night when the party is over, the pot is empty.

- What suggestions would you give to people to start their own holiday traditions?

- First, I would say, find something that you have a passion for.

And, it doesn't take lots of money.

It takes time, which is something that we have very little of today.

I don't know if it's through choices, or what.

But it takes time.

And, it just, given a real South.

Start a tradition that you can involve your family in.

I suggest to our children, our granddaughters, who are both married.

You know, you have a blended family now, always let grandma and grandpa know if we are infringing on your time with your other side of the family.

Because you have to learn to cooperate, you have to learn to share, and make changes.

Don't be just so set on a certain time, or a place.

Christmas is the birth of Christ.

It's not about all the material things in the world that we seem to think keep us moving forward today.

It's about love, it's about cheer, it's about family ties, it's about giving of yourself.

And I feel that if you can just start in a small way, and take the focus off of money, and replace it with time, I think you can start your own tradition.

(jingles) - [Santa] There's so much to do.

I wonder if the toys are ready.

(cheerful music) Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

(music) - Remember to join us online at milwaukeepbs.org.

We'll have links and information on the Mahogany Gallery's featured artists, a link to the Kwanzaa celebration, starting with the Wisconsin Black Historical Society, and also an extended interview with Dimonte Henning, the director of Black Nativity, currently at the Marcus Center for Performing Arts.

Finally, from all of us here at Black Nouveau, best wishes for a happy holiday season.

Happy New Year.

(music)