This film is about affirming the empowering work of the  Black Lives Matter movement in a   narrative that unfolds across Downtown Portland to South Los Angeles. Our film is inspired by France E. W Harper’s portrayal of Black solidarity and her poetic depictions of Black identity in the novel, from the anti-passing attitudes of mixed-race characters to the proclamation of Harper’s own poem, “A Rallying Cry” at a community gathering.  We connected to Harper’s objection to 19th-century America’s racial exploitation in our own time period.  Through a reenactment of two Hispanic males’ participation in this summer’s #BLM protests, our film testifies to the diverse methods of identifying with the movement and exercising one’s right to confront social wrongs. Just like Harper, we hoped to exemplify the power of confronting racial divides using our own blend of historical documentation, lyrical poetry and movement. In doing so, we seek to record the history of #BLM beyond headlines,  instead  we imagine the work we can do within our own communities in bringing about the movement’s coming victory.

A Tale of Two Outcries would like to thank Perla Hernandez, Litzy Contreras, Leah Valencia, Jacqueline Barrios, Yvonne Hernandez, Lili Flores Raygoza, Ana María Alvarez, d. Sabela grimes, Lizette Solis, Jimmy Balderas, Essly Diaz, Justin Jimenez, Matthew Jimenez for contributing to our film’s protest archive. The soundtrack of this film samples from “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke, “Alright” by Kendrick Lamar and “Be Free” by J Cole.  Transcript of original poetry featured in the film available here.