The 20-minute film reimagines the life of Harlins as told by her family, community, and childhood best friends. “You can’t work on a story like this without understanding the care and intentionality needed when telling the story about Black women and girls when their stories are often centered around trauma,” Nahil Allison says. “For me it came down to the importance of oral history, and the importance of our memory and our dreams.
This film frames the rich history of Harlins’ short life with the generational trauma that still lingers today. Just this week a viral video of the killing of, that happened in Georgia last February, triggered public outrage. During an afternoon jog down the middle of a quiet suburban street, Arbery was pursued and fatally shot by two white men who assumed him to be a burglar.
Hunter believes that Harlins’ murder exposes a conversation that needs to be had in communities of color. In this particular case, Harlins was killed by a person of Korean descent, another person of color, but from the Asian community that has largely been indoctrinated with negative stereotypes about Black people. “They don't tell them that there are children in these communities,” he says.
Black storytelling is a love song to Black people, a reminder that there is still a pulse to the progress.redefines her existence from the girl who was shot in a convenience store to the shining light who should still be here. The decision to not include the footage of her murder in the film is intends to high Harlins' humanity. We learn that she was a serious student, had dreams of going to college, and was fiercely protective of her loved ones.
“Origins matter, and it’s important for people who may be familiar with the LA uprising of 1992 to understand that it was really a Black girl’s murder that did all of that,” Hunter contends. “This is why movements likeare so critical, because it reinforces the notion that, regardless of it being two hours or 20 years later, Black girls deserve compassion when telling their stories.
MrFrankBlaney , proud of you. Thank you for speaking out.