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Empowering Documentaries for Women

Becoming

 

Based off of her memoir Becoming, we follow Michelle Obama through her book tour as she resonates with young women all over America to tell her story. She not only speaks about herself and her successes but includes hardships she faced, connecting it back to young women in Chicago. Michelle Obama decides to speak to young women in almost every state to see how they view the world and to listen to the hardships they face.

“I crave some longer experiences with young people. Through the community events. The tour could do a great job of giving me a little taste of it.” 

She gives them advice and makes sure that they are not giving up, making sure that they follow their dreams. Following the story of the first woman of color becoming the first lady and having her husband be the first Black president. She speaks about her experiences in the White House and how it has had an affect in her life. Telling stories from her childhood to adulthood and how they made her the woman she is today. Students in colleges asking her questions about being a successful black woman. What it actually means to her to preserve. 

“I have been at, probably, every powerful table there is in the world. I’ve been at G-summits, I’ve been in castles and palaces, in boardrooms and academic universities. And I’m coming down from the mountaintop to tell every young person that is poor and working-class and has been told, regardless of the color of your skin, that you don’t belong, don’t listen to them. They don’t even know how they got into those seats”

Knock Down The House

This movie is a little different because it is not just about one person but four different women from different places across the US trying to speak up. This shows how just to get one seat at the table is extremely hard to do and to see that only one of the four women makes it is very devastating. The four democratic women who run are Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Amy Vilela, Cori Bush, Paula Jean Swearengin all back in 2018 who were trying to get a seat in congress. 

“Being a woman of color, our image is really scrutinized. You have to speak like this, you have to dress like this, I decided that ‘Yea, I don’t care.’ Basically, you deal with it. You know, people in my district, this is how we look. I’m going to serve and represent the people of my district.” Cori Bush

The movie does primarily focus on Alexandra Ocasio Cortez because she ends up getting her competitor. But also the true story that the women went through in order to transform Congress. Politics are includedm but it helps to show this side of how and who influences politics. All women make reasonable claims about being a woman trying to have your voice heard in this day and age. Overall, it is very uplifting to see AOC Bronx born to succeed and represent minorities in congress. Ask and propose the things that are important to the working class. 

“For one of us to make it through, 100 of us have to try.” AOC

I believe that overall these two movies are by far some of the most empowering movies that actually help you see the bigger picture. These movies tell you a story of different women and different upbringings, but at the end of the day they still end up succeeding. Both AOC and Michelle Obama have made just a big difference in people's lives. Their stories are one of a kind but still stories that us minorities can find hope and motivation. Motivation to stand out and continue proving people wrong. Being the person to speak up for when something is wrong, not being afraid to give up when it gets hard. These documentaries are very helpful to young women as well to be able to see the harsh truth of the world and to learn from it. To show women that even if you fall, get back up and try again.

 - 05/20/2020 - Yaritza Montiel
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JUST MERCY

Yesterday, we went to see JUST MERCY with my class afterschool, and it was a great experience. The movie was amazing, and we all had some laughs and just really enjoyed being there. The movie was very touching and made a few people emotional. I would really recommend people watching this movie because I would definitely watch JUST MERCY again.
-Coudjegi Haidara

 - 03/02/2020 - Nedjra Manning
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Posada 2019

December 18, 2019 | 18 de diciembre de 2019

5:15-6:45 pm

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Student Reporting - Jocalyn's experience

Recently, I went to see the film, Harriet. When I was younger I learned about Harriet Tubman but I learned a lot more after watching her film. One thing I learned that I didn't know before was how (in detail) she would free slaves. She was a slave herself before anything else. And the fact was that she was so resilient regardless of what the consequences would be. She fought for her family and fellow slaves but most importantly, she fought for herself. She did what she thought was right despite what others around her thought. Overall, the experience was every encouraging and the realness of the scenes made me very emotional. I was able to feel all of the emotions and it was nice to finally get out of class and watch a film. Also ,the snacks were amazing.

Reflections from Blackity Media Studies HS 223 Students

 - 11/26/2019 - Nedjra Manning

Student Reporting - Harriet trip

In my opinion, the Harriet trip was fun and interesting because I learned something new when watching the movie. We got snacks for free and I was able to connect with people I barely talk to. Some things I already knew about Harriet Tubman was that her name was Harriet Tubman and that she freed hundreds of slaves across the south single handedly. But when watching the movie, I learned that her real name wasn’t actually Harriet Tubman at first, and it was actually Minty. Another thing that I learned was that Harriet Tubman became a spy during the Civil War to help the union. Overall, the trip was very interesting, I had fun and hope to do this again soon.

Written by Luis Rivera

Reflections from Blackity Media Studies HS 223 Students

 - 11/26/2019 - Nedjra Manning

Student Reporting - Harriet Trip

I really liked how the Magic Johnson was very clean, when people walk in, it makes them feel more alive. The snacks were very good as well as the movie. I really liked the way the things were set up. There weren't too many people which made it quicker and easier to navigate through the theatre. The floor of the theatre was clean and I really loved it. The movie was the best, it was very interesting. I would go again if I they let us.

 - 11/26/2019 - Nedjra Manning

Student Reporting - Harriet Film Viewing

When watching the Harriet movie I got to get a recap of what she did and how much of a help she was. I also learned things about her that I didn't know. I didn't know that she helped free slaves during the Civil War. I also got to learn that she freed a lot of slaves. After all that we saw in the movie, I got to see and learn that this woman was a leader and inspired slaves to want to leave the plantations and go to freedom. When I see Harriet, I think about my mom and my mother is my leader. The woman that birthed me is my inspiration to want and do things that I don't think I could. My mom is a young woman that can't see but still does things that a normal human that can see do. My mother is my reason to want to do things and is my motivation to do good in life and get to the point of success that she didn't get to live.


Our good friends at Arete have given me the experience of watching one of the best movies I have seen, Harriet. I am going to talk about my experience & why I liked watching the Harriet movie. The first thing that I liked about the Harriet movie trip is that the movie was realistic & informational. It gave me lots of information about Harriet, like she traveled 100 miles to get her freedom, & more. Another thing I liked about it is that is was very inspirational because it showed parts where Harriet defied the odds & managed to rescue more & more slaves. One example is that when Harriet & the 9 slaves reached the river, one of the slaves decided to leave, but Harriet believed that they could cross & they managed to cross the river, against all odds. And that is it. The experience was sweet & satisfying & I would recommend the movie to more of the friends. Thank you, Arete & MS223.


The Harriet trip was a nice experience and the movie was very nice and interesting. The movie was very creative and historically accurate with a lot of plot twists and turns. The free food added more fun to the experience and helped make the movie better than it already was. The trip was fun and quick since the theater was close and we had a fun time getting our food and taking pictures in the food area. When we were in the theater, the movie was the only thing that really caught my attention since the movie was very unique and different then what I expected. The movie was based on accurate historical information and real life events. The actors who played the roles in the movie did a good job at what they did embodying the roles of their character and making it an engaging experience for the audience.  As a whole the trip to and from the theater was good and the movie and food were great. I had a good experience.


The Harriet movie was an amazing movie. It is inspiring to women out there to not give up on any challenges. Also, she shows everyone you don't always have to get revenge on the people that hate you but you could teach them a lesson without making them lose their lives. I feel like the more we do this, the better experience.


The trip experience was cool. Going to the theater was fun as we were able to go with the creative writing class. The movie itself was interesting as it showed the actions that we heard about her in class and it also showed her personal life like her family and dating life. The movie showcased her journey from slave to free women, and how she helped others do the same. It showed a small clip of her role when she fought in Civil War and I thought that was cool. Overall, the trip fun and the movie was motivational.


I really liked how the Magic Johnson was very clean, when people walk in, it makes them feel more alive. The snacks were very good as well as the movie. I really liked the way the things were set up. There weren't too many people which made it quicker and easier to navigate through the theatre. The floor of the theatre was clean and I really loved it. The movie was the best, it was very interesting. I would go again if I they let us.

 

 

Reflections from Blackity Media Studies HS 223 Students

 - 11/26/2019 - Nedjra Manning

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