Even in 2018 there still aren’t enough representations of the complexities and nuances that exist in our community, especially when it comes to beauty. Thankfully, young Black creatives are on a mission to change that.
Rebeca Ortiz and Alicia Harris’ latest project PICK is a short fictional drama about an 11-year-old girl who wears her afro to school. The film follows Alliyah as she deals with subtle racist comments and microaggressions about her hair.
Unlike most films about hair, this one never shows Alliyah’s face forcing the viewer to become a bystander, which was a very intentional choice by the filmmakers. By observing and overhearing everything that takes place around Alliyah, the goal is to help change the narrative around Black hair.
Born out of real conversations and events experienced by the creators both Ortiz and Harris wanted viewers to think seriously about the ways in which microaggressions reinforce stereotypes. Unfortunately, encountering biases based on our hair is nothing new and something many Black women continue to face even as adults in the workplace.
You can help bring the film, which is currently in post-production, by supporting it on Kickstarter.