Recent media headlines have catapulted issues of sexual abuse, survivors’ rights, victim’s silence and motivations when that silence is finally shattered after sexual violence has been forced on them, and male dominance regarding such critical gender dynamics. Unfortunately, these issues are deeply rooted in America’s history especially in regards to Black women.   A new film poignantly explores one incident that galvanized a burgeoning social movement, the consequences of speaking up, and the courageous efforts of one woman. The Rape of Recy Taylor will be screened in Auburn for the first time on November 1 at the Auburn Public Theater located at 8 Exchange Street in downtown Auburn. With showings at 1PM and 7 PM , the film tells a powerful and compelling story. “ Mrs. Recy Taylor was gang raped by six white boys in 1944 Alabama. Unbroken, she spoke up and fought for justice with help from Rosa Parks and legions of women. The hidden, epic story of sexua...

Since 1972, I have worked with a diverse and multicultural range of creative people who frame all idioms of creative, performing, and visual arts: dancers, theatrical folk, writers, poets, musicians, painters, photographers, and mixed media artists. While working on a Masters’ degree in Afro-American History and Culture, I spent a year working at the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts, National Center for Afro-American Artists (NCAAA) and was there when Ms. Lewis was cited as a MacArthur Fellow.   A few years later, I produced a theatrical performance by the Native American Spiderwoman Theater; knew Garth Fagan Dance when it was “Bottom of the Bucket But…,” and worked with choreographer Rod Rodgers; learned a life lesson as to how you treat and present artists from jazz great, Betty Carter; and witnessed several off-Broadway theatrical productions before shows were transitioned to Broadway. I was a founding member of the Boston chapter of Billy Taylor’s Collective Black Artists in B...