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Admission is free. No advance reservations. Your seat will be assigned to you when you pick up your ticket at the box office. Seats are assigned on a first come, first served basis. The box office opens one hour before the event.
Fierceness Served! The ENIKAlley Coffeehouse
U.S., 2021
With the HIV/AIDS and crack epidemics in full swing in the mid-1980s, political activists and artists like the poet Essex Hemphill, and a young Michelle Parkerson herself, found vital refuge at the Enikalley Coffee House, a little known Black LGBTQ+ performing arts space in Washington, D.C. In her most recent documentary, Parkerson combines interviews with coffeehouse regulars who pass down “you had to be there” kinds of stories with archival stills and poetry readings re-enacted from Enikalley’s heyday. Parkerson’s affection for Enikalley and the people she encountered there, many of whom were lost to HIV/AIDs, shines through and ultimately makes a convincing case for why this community institution should be seen as a touchstone in queer cultural history.—Beandrea July
DCP, color, 34 min. Director: Michelle Parkerson. With: Christopher Prince, Gregory Adams, Gregory Ford, Pamela A. Jafari, Wayson R. Jones.
... But Then, She's Betty Carter
U.S., 1980
Michelle Parkerson leans into her ongoing interest in Black women culture workers with this serene portrait of the daring and groundbreaking jazz vocalist Betty Carter, most well-known for her duets with Ray Charles (“Baby It’s Cold Outside”). The documentary features extended interviews with Carter about her 30-year career, and with bandleader Lionel Hampton, an early mentor. Parkerson switches between extended scenes of Carter performing to an enthusiastic crowd and sit-downs shot in extreme close-up where she speaks with a gauzy elocution that makes you lean in — to Carter's musical genius and her fierce dedication to personal and artistic independence.—Beandrea July
DCP, color, 53 min. Director/Screenwriter: Michelle Parkerson. With: Betty Carter, Lionel Hampton, Curtis Lundy, Mulgrew Miller.
Gotta Make This Journey: Sweet Honey in The Rock
U.S, 1983
This public broadcasting-funded documentary about the dynamic acapella group Sweet Honey and the Rock intercuts between interviews with group members and a rousing performance at their ninth anniversary concert at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC, Parkerson’s hometown. Parkerson, who is credited as the film’s producer, made use of facilities and personnel at the DC public television affiliate WETA and completed the film in just four months. Angela Davis, Alice Walker and Holly Near provide commentary on Sweet Honey’s deep resonance around the world and the footage of the audience speaks volumes about the power of song in the face of injustice.—Beandrea July
DCP, color, 58 min. Director: Joseph Camp. With: Angela Davis, Alice Walker, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Yasmeen Williams, Evelyn Harris.
