Annie Sykes on the Tucson Black Film Club, Black Women’s Task Force, & NAACP Tucson

Annie Sykes spoke about local Black organizations and events. She is a member of the Tucson Black Film Club and she spoke about their Tucson Black Film Festival in the time of COVID-19. Ms. Sykes is the Vice President of the NAACP Tucson and she is a member of the Black Women’s Task Force.

People interested in the film festival are invited to watch the films at home and join the discussion via zoom. Ms. Sykes spoke about the animated short Hair Love and tied it into the Black Women’s Task Force’s efforts to initiate a CROWN act in the city of Tucson. CROWN is an acronym for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair. The CROWN Act was created in 2019 by Dove and the CROWN Coalition to ensure protection against discrimination based on race-based hairstyles by extending statutory protection to hair texture and protective styles such as braids, locs, twists, and knots in the workplace and public schools. The Tucson City Council is going to have a study session for implementation in Tucson.

The Tucson Black Film Club presents the 2021 TUCSON BLACK FILM FESTIVAL

First: Watch the videos on your own.
     Akeelah and the Bee is included in HBO and Amazon Prime subscriptions; costs $3.99 on YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, etc.
     Sounder screens free of charge at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMD5Pg-IrTk&feature=emb_logo.
     Hair Love is also free on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNw8V_Fkw28.
Second: Join the Tucson Black Film Club for a synopsis of the films and an online discussion at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89660902504 
on Saturday, February 20, 2021 from 1:00 – 3:00pm.

Akeelah and the Bee, 2006 Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, and Keke Palmer dazzle in this inspiring story of a young girl’s talent, determination, and achievement. The winner of an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, this film will make you cheer and is perfect for Black History
Month. There will be special participation in the Akeelah and the Bee discussion with the NAACP Tucson.

Sounder, 1972 The late Cicely Tyson as well as Paul Winfield star in this box-office hit that earned numerous Academy Award nominations as well as awards from several international and national film societies. It’s about love, survival, and hard choices.

The animated short Hair Love rounds out this mini-festival.

Sponsors include St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church and Africana Studies at the University of Arizona.

Recorded and produced by Amanda Shauger.