A Girl Like Me

CELEBRATE!: LOVIN' THE SKIN I'M IN WITH
AWARD-WINNING FILMMAKER KIRI DAVIS, A GIRL LIKE ME

SATURDAY, MARCH 10TH, 6:30 P.M.
AT DUNWOODY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY IN MINNEAPOLIS

A Girl Like Me, an 8-minute documentary Kiri Davis produced and directed when she was only 16, explores the standards of beauty imposed on today's black girls and how this affects their self-image. A key element of the film is a recreation of the Dr. Kenneth Clark black doll-white doll experiment made famous during the 1954 landmark desegregation case Brown v. Board of Education. SoulTouch Productions is presenting the event in partnership with African American Family Services, Camphor United Methodist Church, Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter The Links, Inc., Southside Community Health Services and the Walker Arts Center's Women with Vision International Film Fest. The "Celebration" will also feature the voices and talents of young women and men representing the Lovin' the Skin I'm In movement, and surprise guests.

Inspired by award-winning novelist Sharon G. Flake's The Skin I'm In, the goal of the Lovin' the Skin I'm In movement is to address the common yet painful issues of adolescence as experienced by African American youth. That's why Robin Hickman, executive producer of SoulTouch Productions is a part of developing the literary work into a feature film as well as working with young students who have read the book and are contributing their personal reflections of what it means to love the skin they're in. Hickman's work with the Lovin' movement also has an educational component: because Hickman in her own words believes 'it is crucial to teach these young people the historical origins of negative legacies within our community, as well as the impact of images and stereotypes in the media.' According to Black Women's Health, Black people account for approximately 25% of the mental health needs in this country though they only make up 11- 12% of the national population. To make matters worse, only 2% of the nation's psychologists are Black. The rates of mental health problems are higher than average for Black women because of psychological factors that result directly from their experience as Black Americans. These experiences include racism, cultural alienation, and violence and sexual exploitation. The past three years Lovin' has engaged a diverse group of young people in a media arts, social impact and creative expression initiative, which explores societal standards of beauty and media influences on self-esteem and identity. Proactively engaging the communities they serve is a hallmark of the operating philosophies of event partnership and other individuals and organizations in the Lovin' movement.

In addition to the screening of A Girl Like Me at the event, the public can check-out the film as part of the Science Museum's RACE exhibit. During her energetic and inspiring tour of the Twin Cities, on Thursday, March 8th Kiri will spend the day at the Walker Art Center meeting with youth from various Twin Cities media arts programs, A Girl will be showing at the Walker throughout March. Kiri will also be visiting schools and community groups during her time in Minneapolis and St. Paul.