“My hometown is still segregated by train tracks. In high school, I had a history teacher that opened my mind up, and I realized that I was black. I already knew I was black. I knew I had beautiful brown skin, but I didn’t know what ‘black’ meant in the current social context. But I think it’s something that’s not unfamiliar to the larger black community. After learning that, I realized that it’s not right. It’s not fair. It’s not equal, and someone has to do something about it.
So I’ve come to learn that my purpose is helping other people. Not like the general ‘helping,’ but literally being a resource to my community. Because my community needs information, I just want to be that person that people can come to, and ask me anything: whether it be for funding or assistance with legal stuff, or help me make a video or anything. I really want to be a resource. I want to actually combine film, policy, law and social justice and bring all of that to the front screen.”
– Samesa, public policy graduate student from Indianola, Miss.
