As much as this film presents itself as work that explores the definitions of queer theory and politics, it also functions as a source of self discovery. In spirit of Somerville’ s Queering the Color Line, Sabea and I set out to tell a story and name the intricate and precise realities that contribute to being black women. The insertion of the word queer in between black and womxn was intentional. This move allotted a space where we could use poetry, photography, music and video to explore exactly what queer means. Given the combination of the various mediums, we were able to explore themes of sexuality, mental health, coming of age, family, time, love, blackness, and womanhood. With this said, I will use this analysis to focus on how the functions of nature contribute to a successful exploration of the intersections of queerness, blackness, and womanhood.
Both Sabea and I are from the city. Sabea’ s from the Bronx and I’ m from Newark. We grew up in fast paced environments, where tan concrete and over pouring of homes, stores, and buildings mute the greenery. There are parks where you would find pickup basketball games and children playing. However, given the speed and need to keeping pushing forward on to the next bus, obligation, or day, one would find it difficult to really take a pause. Even though we both identify as city girls and love where we come from, we did make the decision to leave.
In many biographies and account of prominent queer figures ranging from, James Baldwin and Bill T. Jones, there is a narrative of leaving and escaping in order to discover and understand. In this film, nature mirrors that escape and plays an interesting role in this dynamic. We walked the Nature Trail on campus, and paused at points that resonated with the soundtrack, poems, and present mood. Through the speed alterations and deep attention to color, one can see that both me and Sabea were able to uncover the layers of our stories and identities in order to achieve some level of truth. The various scenes of just standing, sitting, walking, and being in nature communicates a level of vulnerability. From here, the space to both deconstruct these loaded terms, but also rebuild and bring their complexities to light was created.
In short, this film was liberatory. Watching the end result, surpassed the confines of theory. I could read the queer theories of Somerville and Sedwgick. But I could also feel the truth and honesty that was portrayed in the personal narratives and memoirs of writers like Audre Lorde and Rebecca Walker. To be able to use our personal experiences and insights was a risk. However, as Nina Simone defines in the opening scenes of the film, freedom is no fear. And through the planning, filming, editing, revising, and publishing of black. queer. womxn. Sabea and I were able to achieve a snippet of this liberation.
-Alliyah Allen