FEMINIST FRIDAY: PBS Asks What’s Next For Sexual Harassment & Abuse In The #MeToo Era

Welcome to another edition of Feminist Friday, that part of our week which is not just about TGIF, but about sharing some of our fave videos that portray what we feel encompasses the definition of feminism today. And for us, feminism must be intersection, so this week we’re excited to focus on content created by and about women of color in particular.

First up is PBS’ new 5-part docu-series called ‘#MeToo, Now What?‘. It is hosted by Zainab Salbi who is a journalist, activist and the CEO of Women for Women International, an organization that aids nearly half a million women in conflict zones across the world.

Zainab talks to men and women, both victims and perpetrators, and aims to push the conversation about sexual assault and harassment beyond just unearthing stories, but asking confronting questions about where the movement goes from here. She told Vanity Fair that she also hopes the series will ultimately prompt real legal and emotional reform in society.

The decision to include men’s voices, while ensuring women and victims are certainly centered and not dismissed, is crucial to progress. Men need to be part of the solution, so we are glad to see a series that offers some varying perspective, without making it seem like it is “coddling” or protecting abusers in any way. Watch the trailer below, and take a look at all the episodes on the PBS website.

Going from a serious topic to something comedic, below is a trailer to a new web series called ‘FML’, created by Viktoria I.V. King. It follows five friends of color going through a quarter life crisis whilst working in some facet of the porn industry. This inclusive comedy centers around five millennial friends of color who are currently navigating life as they try to find themselves, their identity, actual money in their bank account, their purpose and make sure to drink a lot and get laid along the way.

An aspiring erotica writer, a lover of sex/sex store employee, an indie filmmaker turned porn director, an actor/model turned aspiring porn star, and an entrepreneur of sex make up the group of friends. The quirks and social commentary of these characters are heightened as they are complemented with a supporting ensemble including Darlene Dues (‘Orange is the New Black’). Anthony Duluc (‘Blue Bloods’), Ana Roshelle Diaz (‘Orange is the New Black’), Sarah Pribis (‘Little Things’) , Zachary Eisenstat (‘Detroit’) , Gabrielle Georgescu, Nate Betancourt, Lauren Kneteman, Ruby Hurlock, Chris Banks, Dolly Cardenas, Neysa Lozano, Raul Meruelo, Catherine Jandrain and Nikki Lowe.

Created and produced with 98% female and inclusive cast and crew, the 12 episode web series has released the first half of Season One on REVRY, an LGBTQ inclusive positive digital platform. It is available on Amazon Fire, Roku TV, Apple TV and on REVRY’s main streaming app. Watch the trailer below:

Our final video is a trailer currently available on Netfix which we highly recommend! ‘Roxanne Roxanne’ is the true story, adapted for film, following the life and music career of hip hop’s first female MC Roxanne Shante. In the early 1980s, the most feared battle MC in Queens, New York, was a fierce teenage girl with the weight of the world on her shoulders. At the age of 14, Lolita “Roxanne Shante” Gooden was well on her way to becoming a Hip-Hop legend as she hustled to provide for her family while defending herself from the dangers of the streets.

The film stars Nia Long, Mahershala Ali, and Chante Adams as MC Roxanne Shante. The actress and real life Lolita sat down for an interview with Interview Magazine, something which everyone needs to read to understand this incredible woman’s life struggles, and how she paved the way for today’s notable female MC’s such as Nicki Minaj and Cardi B.

The part of the interview we loved the most was when both women were asked their thoughts on female empowerment and how they use their life to help others. Lolita talks about her advocacy for at-risk, low-income and foster girls and the work she does with her husband, showing how her own background (shown in the film) has helped shape her as an influence not only in the hip hop community, but also on the streets of New York.

“I have a nonprofit organization that I run with my husband called Mind Over Matter where we deal with inner city youth, mainly young women from ages 13 to 18 because I find that’s a very impressionable age. We’re responsible now for well over 600 graduates of girls who were at risk. We have valedictorians, salutatorians, and these were girls who were not even going to graduate who become valedictorian, who become salutatorian. So I take a lot of pride in that. I think that it’s one of the things that I take the most pride in. That and being a CASA,” she said.

“Those are Court Appointed Special Advocates. I’m in Essex County and what we do is, children who are in foster care who don’t have a voice, I go to court and I speak for them. I think because I experienced so much as a child, I feel like I’m responsible for every child that I come into contact with. I also feel like as a sister, I’m responsible for every woman that I come in contact with. I make it my business,” she added.

Watch ‘Roxanne Roxanne’ streaming on Netflix from March 23.