More Black History Please
On January 19th, I had the pleasure of having one of the best Thursday’s I’ve had this year! I attended the Milwaukee Film Black Lens Annual Affair, hosted at the vibrant Ivy House location in the Harbor View neighborhood. Knowing the neighborhood is being rekindled as of the last few years, I knew I was in for a treat. The Ivy House space was softly lit, with an open airy feel surrounded by greenery and vines hanging from the tall windows and rafters. There was a well stocked bar running along the back wall and seating a plenty, and of varying types, which I really appreciated.
Black Lens continued to stimulate even more senses with an eye-catching catered spread by Anomaly Catering, that both smelled and tasted amazing especially with the sounds by DJ Bizzon in the background. The food was a mix of different cuisines both fresh and cooked, sweet and savory, that all went very well together and with many vegetarian friendly options! Shortly after arriving, I checked out the new merch designs available from Black Lens, got some food and looked over the movie schedule for upcoming Black History Month content curated by Black Lens. Shortly into the night I seated myself at one of the neatly lined up chairs as a live performance was about to start on stage.
The night was an ode to the late Whitney Houston which was felt and heard through the live band performing throughout the night. The talented and fun Brew City Soul Orchestra were a delight to listen to and very skilled in all the songs they sang. Paying homage to Whitney throughout the night was a great way to continue to tell Black stories as part of the celebration of Black History Month. As she was often criticized as, “not black enough”, Whitney spent many years of her career getting out of the white-pop pleasing mold she had entered the music scene with at an early age. Hearing her music during the Black Lens event, in particular her 1992 hit “I’m Every Woman,” was overall a great compliment to the content and upcoming Black History Month experiences being presented by Black Lens as part of their 2023 program.
The 2023 Black Lens program includes in-person experiences and events varying from professional forums, to trivia, to musical performances, all hosted at Milwaukee locations and all centered around diverse Black stories and experiences during the month of February. The movie lineup for the month of February is also super enticing this year with showings that feature emerging and established film talent, bringing communities together in celebration and conversation. These cinematic productions are all shown at Milwaukee FIlm’s Oriental Theater - an iconic Milwaukee venue - and show on Thursday evenings, and Saturdays, either morning or evening. Similar to the breadth of diversity within different black cultures, featured movie genres are wide-ranging as well, with topics such as politics, martial arts, comedy, documentary and more. Ticket prices are very affordable, even for non-members of Milwaukee Film, ranging from $6-12 with packages available for multi-packs of tickets available as well. I’m personally excited to check out the film showing February 25th, An Oversimplification of Her Beauty; about a semi non-fiction film piece that hyper focuses on a moment in a young artist's life.
While Black History Month is only 28 days long, ideally Black stories (past, present and future) should be acknowledged and featured every month! It was awesome to see the Black Lens team really living this ideology internally as well as externally, by supporting the artists identity and goals of team members while also championing so much talent from the Black community all year round. By partnering with local black-owned and operated businesses they were actively supporting black communities and building on black stories with the introduction to this year's Black History Month events. It’s evident they understand how Black history and culture has enormously influenced history and culture in America and worldwide.
All things considered, January 17th was well spent, thanks to Black Lens & Milwaukee Film! The evening’s atmosphere and cadence of presentation were well-planned while allowing the crowd to engage and discuss the upcoming content - leaving a buzzing excitement in the air. Some of the events are already selling out, so don’t wait to secure yours! Be sure to also let us know which ones you’re most interested in - we might just see you there.
