Since 1976, February has been the official home of the annual Black History Month. A few days into February 2022, I wanted to share a few ways you can help support Black filmmakers, artists, and creatives.

5 Ways to Support Black artists this Black History Month

1. Share Black artists stories and contact information on platforms you have access to.
2. If there are zoom industry meetings/panels you are invited to and they are not diverse contact the host or moderator and suggest a Black artist that can give a different or additional perspective to the conversation.
3. Check out Black artist’s Twitter and Instagram pages for their bio’s and connect with those that you have mutual career interests or passions.
4. If you have an agent or are in a union consider recommending a Black artist for representation or membership.
5. Don’t stop reaching out on February 28th – Smile.

I would love to see some of your favorite Black artists! Feel free to drop links to their work in the comments below.

Now, I wanted to share my personal story as a Black artist and how I fell in love with movies.

How did a Black Kid fall in Love with Monsters?

What I didn’t know was how important my parent’s decision was to raise their family in a small town outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania called Yeadon Borough also famously known as the hometown of the founder of Flag Day William T. Kerr. I was born in the early 60’s, a Valentine’s Day baby to be exact, growing up in an era that was still unfortunately ripe with overt racism. My father, a career military man having achieved the rank of Sergeant Major E-9 in the United States Army experiencing World War 2, The Korean War and the Vietnam Conflict defending this country from enemies both foreign and domestic still had to settle his family on the “Black” side of town. Interestingly enough we would live only one block away from a building that would change my life forever: The Yeadon Movie Theater.

The Yeadon Theater quietly reinforced the good in our community. All people’s money was good there from purchasing your movie ticket, buying snacks at the concession stand, freely using the restrooms and all seats in the theater was first come first served.

Our town, although walking distance from Philadelphia, was like a million miles away. We were self-contained having our own elementary school, junior/senior high school, police/fire department and local government. Support businesses included a gas station, pharmacy, post office and a grocery store. I would only have to leave Yeadon to visit my relatives in Philadelphia and go to church or shopping for clothes.

I’m sure I saw many movies at “my” theater and we all looked forward to going on Saturdays. There was one movie that really made a huge impression on me, The Planet of the Apes. That movie on that huge screen took me away without leaving my seat and from that day on I knew personally the power of a film and what is possible to imagine. I still have my Plant of the Apes trash can in my old room at my moms’ house!

I also looked forward to watching movies on our television set especially on Saturdays for the sci-fi and horror movies. The horror movie The Hand and all those low budget monster movies of all types were my thing. Then there was the turning point movie for me as a Black kid. It started out like most movies with white characters and when you’re a Black kid you just imagine Black people in those roles. The movie was The Swamp Thing and as I was preparing myself to image me in it when all of a sudden out of nowhere there was a Black kid in the movie.

At first, I had to catch myself but he was there. I was like “Oh My God”. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t know who wrote the movie or directed it but I did know they saw me, yes me this Black kid from Yeadon, PA who just loved monsters. But for me all of this was just entertainment I had no idea you could do this as a career.

Yeadon was a middle-class town where the children were expected to graduate high school go to college get a good job get married buy a house and raise a family. I was okay with that then and I’m still okay with that now except so far I have only bought a house after getting a job – Smile. I went on to have a career in television working for Black Entertainment Television both as an executive and the creator of my own sketch comedy show.

After leaving BET, I thought I would continue to do tv projects which I did but that “little kid” popped back into my mind and reminded me of what my true passion is: Film & Monsters. So, here I am a grown Black kid who is a writer/director that wrote a horror script with a monster in it and will not stop until I get it made. In a weird way, I think I’m doing my own Swamp Thing for that future Black kid to see themselves.

We artists have a huge responsibility with our craft of storytelling. We can’t quit because there is a kid out there somewhere in the world who is waiting for us to show them the way in front and behind the camera.

Thanks for allowing me to share,

Andre’

P.S. Sadly, the Yeadon Movie Theater that meant so much to me growing up burned down to the ground. One of my goals is to build another movie theater in my hometown so that future kids can experience the same joy I had and still have because of the film industry.

About Andre' Barnwell

Writer/Director spent 12 years at BET as an executive and EP where I created and directed the sketch comedy show The Way We Do It.

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