This Fall I had the pleasure of viewing the documentary "U People" I also had the opportunity to meet with the filmmakers Hanifah Walidah and Olive Demetrius.U People is an accidental documentary; the original intention was to film a music video, "Make a Move" by musician Hanifah Walidah, which later debut on LOGO. The video itself was a first of its kind, featuring an entire cast/crew of thirty women identifying as straight, gay, and Transgender. Once they began editing the footage, Hanifah and Olive began to take a closer look at the dialogue between such a diverse group of women, issues such as being gay/and or Transgender in the African American communities and the perceptions of roles such as "femme" and "butch”.

            Prior to viewing the film, the filmmakers Hanifah and Olive held a workshop titled, The Beautiful Obstacle: Beyond a Double Consciousness. In this workshop we were divided into groups and began to brainstorm/contemplate words that describe femininity and characteristics of African American women. After the list was created, we then, as a group had to create a silent, short performance illustrating the characteristics we felt were the most prevalent in front of one another. This exercise helped us to understand how identities are socially constructed and the fact that there are multiple interpretations within those constructions. It was an excellent prelude to the film.

            After watching the film I began to think about the concepts “Two Spirit” and “Transgender” and its connection with the African American community. Why is transgender identity viewed as taboo within the African American community? Why is there segregation within the gay community itself? Overall, I found the film inspiring and daringly raw- there was no filter. 

U People Website: http://iloveupeople.ning.com/