Detroit Black Film Festival, Black Reading Month, Aaron Pori Potts

This Week on American Black Journal:

3rd Annual Detroit Black Film Festival to Feature 86 Films By Black Filmmakers, Motown Productions Special Screening

Created to showcase the voice and stories of Black filmmakers, the 3rd annual Detroit Black Film Festival returns Sept. 21-25 this year with 86 different films by Black independent filmmakers from across the globe. Two days of screenings will be hosted at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Marlene Boll Theatre, inside the downtown Detroit YMCA.

Kicking off the event, the Motown Museum will present a special opening night screening of “Lady Sings the Blues” at the Wright Museum in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the film’s release by Motown Productions. Host Stephen Henderson talks with Detroit Black Film Festival Co-founders Lazar and Marshalle Favors about what’s on tap for the five-day event and the types of films audiences will be able to view at the festival.

September is Black Reading Month Encourages People to Read Black Authors, Understand Black History

“We needed a campaign within the Black community, and Detroit in particular, to emphasize the importance of reading Black books as a way of becoming familiar with our own cultural and historical experience,” says Malik Yakini, co-founder of September is Black Reading Month, which is now in its 43rd year. The annual observance encourages the Black community to read books, magazines and journals written by Black authors as a way to deepen their understanding and knowledge of the African American community’s history and culture.

Yakini joins “American Black Journal” for a conversation with host Stephen Henderson about why he wants people to read the works of Black authors during September. Plus, they talk about the importance of patronizing Black bookstores and improving literacy rates in the Black community.

Renowned Detroit Artist Aaron Ibn Pori Pitts Passes Away at Age 80

“American Black Journal” pays tribute to the legacy of renowned Detroit artist Aaron Ibn Pori Pitts, who passed away on August 13, 2022 at the age of 80. To pay tribute, watch an interview Pitts did with Detroit Black Journal in 1981.

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