“Women Rising: Stories of Strength and Change,” LTV’s current film series celebrating the resilience and courage of women from diverse backgrounds, will return tomorrow evening at 7:30 with “I Am Not OK” (2022), a short by Gabrielle Lansner, and “Leveling Lincoln” (2022), a documentary by Arden Theresa Lewis.
“I Am Not OK” is an experimental film that weaves together dance, music, and spoken word to convey the response of a mother and son to the killing of George Floyd in 2020 amid the backdrop of protests that followed. Written and spoken by Tiffiney Davis, director of the Red Hook Arts Project, and starring the dancers Pat Hall and Dahsir Hausif, the film portrays the fear, outrage, and anger that came to symbolize a global movement to end anti-Black racism.
“Leveling Lincoln” focuses on a famous Northern case of school desegregation, Taylor v. Board of Education of New Rochelle, N.Y., which led in 1961 to a determination that Black children had been confined to Lincoln Elementary School while white families had been allowed to transfer their children to all-white schools.
As a result, it was the first case in the North where an entire elementary school had to be torn down to achieve a level playing field in education. Unlike the case of Ruby Bridges, who, as the sole Black child permitted to attend an all-white Louisiana elementary school, had to be escorted there by federal marshals, in New Rochelle hundreds of children were bused to schools without calling out the National Guard.
Framed by photos and newsreels, interviewees, now adults, reflect on being part of a social experiment that began on their first days of kindergarten and what lessons can be learned and applied to today’s equally complex educational issues.
“Women Rising” is curated by Annette Danto, a filmmaker, chairwoman of the Brooklyn College Film Department, and a part-time Springs resident. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door, and $35 for cafe tables that include front-row seating and a drink ticket. Student tickets are $5 with ID.
The Wainscott venue’s World Voices Series will bring Winston Irie and the Selective Security Band there on Saturday at 8 p.m.
Growing up in Guyana, Mr. Irie was inspired by artists such as Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Gladys Knight, Jimmy Cliff, Toots and the Maytals, and Bob Marley. He moved to Brooklyn in the late ‘70s and began performing live in New York. He first came to the Hamptons in 1993 and has performed with Lenny Kravitz, Martha Reeves, A Tribe Called Quest, and Richie Havens, among others.
Little Beach Harvest, the officially licensed cannabis dispensary of the Shinnecock Indian Nation, has come on board as a sponsor of the World Voices concert by Mr. Irie and the Selective Security Band.
Mr. Irie conveys the philosophy of Rastafari in his performances. A movement that originated in Jamaica in the 1930s, it features drumming, chanting, and meditation along with the incorporation of marijuana as a sacred sacrament, according to a release.
Little Beach Harvest will engage with audience members by offering product samples for those who sign up to receive its email newsletter. A key pillar of the Shinnecock Nation’s economic development, the dispensary's products are tested to ensure they meet industry standards for safety and quality.
The World Voices series is dedicated to showcasing international and underrepresented musical artists in live, accessible performances. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door; $50 for cafe table seating.
This article has been modified from its original and print versions to include the sponsorship of the World Voices concert by Little Beach Harvest, which was announced after the print edition went to press.
