Brooklyn Academy of Music Closing Night Reception for Black Women Filmmaker Series

L-Documentary filmmaker Madeline Anderson, R-Director Lisa Collins

It was my pleasure and honor to meet Madeline Anderson at the closing night reception for the film series One Way or Another which ran from February 3 thru March 2nd at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Curated by film industry vet Michelle Materre, the series featured films made by black American women between 1970-1991. Madeline Anderson's documentary I Am Somebody was made in 1970 and chronicled the efforts of approximately 400 hospital workers in South Carolina in 1969 who were fighting for better wages. It is an extremely important film in the history of both black American labor rights as well as black American feminism. All but twelve of the strikers were black women and illustrates but one of many examples of black female agency and sophistication in navigating the power structure and political system of the deep south during the civil rights era. Anderson is also known for being a first- the first black American women to have a nationally broadcast series. In 1978, she produced The Infinity Factory for PBS; a children's show that aimed at teaching math and science. I Am Somebody is a must-see for anyone interested in understanding modern American history and black feminism. It is distributed by Icarus Films

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