ANGELICA

$395.00

ANGELICA

Angelica, after a long absence from Puerto Rico, returns home when her father, Wilfredo, suffers a stroke. This unexpected return and her father's illness force Angelica to re-evaluate her relationship with her mother and family members who don't accept her because of her skin color. She must face herself and discovers that she does not know who she is. After her father's death, Angelica must decide whether to return to the comfort of her previous life, dissatisfied, but secure, or set on an adventurous path to rediscover herself as an independent, modern, strong, black, and Puerto Rican woman.

Directed by Marisol Gómez-Mouakad, Puerto Rico, 2016, 100min, Drama, English & Spanish w/English subtitles

"Purposely challenging the Eurocentric beauty standards that blatantly plague Latin America on and off screen, Puerto Rican director Marisol Gómez-Mouakad sets out to tell the story of an empowered Afro-Latina fighting colorism at home in her debut feature Angélica." ~ Remezcla

“People talk about racism and sexism in the U.S.,” Gómez-Mouakad explains. “They may not do much, but in talking about it they are at least addressing the problem. In Puerto Rico — and across the Caribbean and Latin America — there is a lot of denial. If you do talk about the issues, you are accused of being over sensitive. But words have power and words can hurt.” ~ director Marisol Gómez-Mouakad

"In addition to the theme of racism, the film touches upon the implications of machismo in a patriarchal society from the perspective of women." ~ Repeating Islands

"Another glorious, glorious portrait on race and the roles women play—by pressure, by tradition, by choice. " ~ Guilie Castillo Oriard

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ANGELS ON DIAMOND STREET

$395.00

Angels On Diamond Street Trailer - Art HD from ArtMattan Productions on Vimeo.

ANGELS ON DIAMOND STREET

DIRECTED BY Petr Lom

U.S.A. / Netherlands / 2019 / ENGLISH / SPANISH w/English Subtitles / 88 MIN

SYNOPSIS

Angels on Diamond Street spotlights three women fighting for social justice in an African-American church in Philadelphia. We follow head cook Mamie Mather, former Black Panther Barbara Easley-Cox and Pastor Renee Mackenzie at the soup kitchen of the Church of the Advocate: a national monument with a rich history in the civil rights movement.

When an undocumented Mexican immigrant family - Carmela Apolonio Hernandez and her children - asks the church for sanctuary, they are welcome with open arms. Pastor Mackenzie courageously defies the ICE immigration authorities in an act of civil disobedience.

A documentary about compassion that invites us to forget about all borders, be they of race, nationality or religion.

"Angels on Diamond Street, by the Netherlands-based director Petr Lom, is rich with quotable quotes. It is a tender look at an American church with an old, persevering, social justice soul, and the people who make their soup kitchen a communal magnet.

The film was recorded during a two-year focus on North Philadelphia's activist congregation of the Church of the Advocate in the heart of a poor, African American neighborhood. The church building is a huge, stone beauty finished in 1887, named the George W. South Memorial Church, but is best known by its current moniker. Informative and strung together chronologically, it grows into an occasional conversation between the man behind the camera and the people he follows. You can read a lot in its details." ~ JoAnne Velin, moderntimes.review.com

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DESIREÉ

$245.00

DESIREÉ

DIRECTED BY FELIX DE ROOY

NETHERLANDS AND USA / 1984 / ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 96 MIN

SYNOPSIS

Set in Brooklyn, New York this Dutch film is based on a true story that appeared on a New York newspaper in 1980.

Desirée lives in the past. A series of flashbacks expose us to her psychologically troubled childhood very much affected by a promiscous mother. Her present life evolves around three people: her employer Mrs. Resnick, Freddy, her lover and Father Siego, leader of the church "The True Confessors".

Desirée's relationship with each one of these characters is at the origin of her falling apart. Freddy is an insecure black man who finishes their love affair with a sad note, Father Siego is the leader of a rigid narrow-minded religious sect and Mrs Resnick is a racist, prejudiced white woman who feels black people are inferior and incapable of living their own live.

Rejected by all because of her pregnancy, Desirée blames her child as the source of evil. She is then possessed by evil and wants to exorcise it. The only way is to get rid of her daughter...

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Felix de Rooy

GENRES

Drama

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Fighting for Respect: African-American Soldiers in WWI

$395.00

Fighting For Respect - Art Trailer from ArtMattan Productions on Vimeo.

FIGHTING FOR RESPECT: AFRICAN-AMERICAN SOLDIERS IN WWI

Directed by Joanne Burke

USA/FRANCE / 2021 / 54 MIN / DOCUMENTARY / ENGLISH

SYNOPSIS

Fighting for Respect captures the plight of African American soldiers who fought in WWI, receiving the Croix de Guerre military decoration from France, while still fighting discrimination and hatred at home in America.

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Joanne Burke

GENRES

Documentary

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FILLING THE GAP

$395.00

FILLING THE GAP

DIRECTED BY TYRONE YOUNG

USA / 2010 / ENGLISH / 83 MIN

SYNOPSIS

Conceived as an effort to alter the way African-American children see themselves and their ancestors, this docu-drama highlights the inventive and inspired contributions of African-Americans in the 1840s, the period leading to the Civil War in American History.

Developed in collaboration with Florida-based historian Mary Fears to produce a historically accurate portrayal of the brave, compelling lives of African American skilled craftsmen, artists, inventors, and Union spies, the film is certain to enthrall young audiences with this overlooked facet of history.

"This is an incredibly powerful piece for kids to see. Black kids, white kids, whatever. . . they need to see this. It really does fill the gap. It reminds us all of the incredible intelligence, artistry, craftsmanship, and heart of the people of color who were subjected to all kinds of horrors. The emphasis on this movie is not about the horror of slavery, though it is obviously a factor, but about the contributions and skills of the black population dealing with that horror. We can all use the message that we can rise above our surroundings. Children, especially children of color but whites as well, need to see and experience these stories that will make them proud and remind them of their heritage. Well done Tyrone Young and the rest of all those involved." - Dr. Scott Sheperd

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Tyrone Young

GENRES

Docu-drama

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HOGTOWN

$395.00

HOGTOWN

DIRECTED BY DANIEL NEARING

U.S.A. / 2015 / ENGLISH / 95 MIN

SYNOPSIS

HOGTOWN is set in 1919 Chicago against the backdrop of the race riots of that year. The story follows an investigation into the disappearance of a millionaire theatre owner during a snowstorm. HOGTOWN is a murder mystery that celebrates the most American of American cities while exploring the intimate lives of many of its people. This period piece is much more a period-less piece, shot in black and white in the often undisguised contemporary city. The film involves a multi-racial, ensemble cast of more than 70 characters, a full symphony orchestra score, and evolves directly from the ensemble process of the making our previous feature, Chicago Heights (now The Last Soul on a Summer Night).

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Daniel Nearing

Starring: Herman Wilkins

Starring: Márcio Garcia

Starring: Sean Walton

GENRES

Drama

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JOSEPHINE BAKER: BLACK DIVA IN A WHITE MAN'S WORLD

$245.00

Josephine Baker: Black Diva in a White Man's World Trailer - ArtMattan Films from ArtMattan Productions on Vimeo.

JOSEPHINE BAKER: BLACK DIVA IN A WHITE MAN'S WORLD

DIRECTED BY ANNETTE VON WANGENHEIM

GERMANY, U.S. AND FRANCE / 2006 / ENGLISH, GERMAN, AND FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 45 MIN

SYNOPSIS

A tender, revealing documentary about one of the most famous and popular performing artists of the 20th century. Her legendary banana belt dance created theatre history; her song “J’ai deux amours” became a classic, and her hymn.

The film focuses on her life and work from a perspective that analyses images of Black people in popular culture. It portrays the artist in the mirror of European colonial clichés and presents her as a resistance fighter, an ambulance driver during WWII, and an outspoken activist against racial discrimination involved in the worldwide Black Consciousness movement of the 20th century.

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Annette von Wangenheim

GENRES

Documentary

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KUESSIPAN

$395.00

KUESSIPAN

The award-winning drama Kuessipan by Myriam Verreault was adapted from the acclaimed novel Kuessipan and co-written with the novel’s First Nation Canadian author Naomi Fontaine. Kuessipan means "your turn" in the Innu language, a title chosen to mark the notion that it is the Innu people's turn to tell their story.

“The Innu voice is ever present, which is so important as it offers a glimpse into their lives without a Colonial perspective. It's a feature that, while seemingly an obvious advantage, is hardly ever utilized for similar films. It means that audiences can enter the world in a respectful manner - which isn't to say the film shies away from the issues, but it does mean that those issues are approached in a confident and dignified way” writes Joel Kalkopf in his review for Switch.

The story follows two girls who grow up as best friends in a Quebec Innu community. While Mikuan has a loving family, Shaniss is picking up the pieces of her shattered childhood. As children, they promised each other to be lifelong friends. But as they mature, their lives take different paths, and their personal ambitions diverge leading them to a cultural and identity clash that tests their bond.

Directed by Myriam Verreault, Canada, 2019, 117min, Drama, Montagnais, French, English w/English subtitles

"Kuessipan is quiet and mesmerizing and tragic and full of hope. It is a triumph, and a privilege to spend time with." ~ Globe and Mail

"Myriam Verreault excels at crafting a film told through an Indigenous lens that discusses universal themes of friendship, identity, love, and heartbreak." ~ Exclaim!

"Kuessipan is a beautiful, un-sensationalized look at young womanhood, friendship and community." ~ NOW Toronto

"Heartbreakingly exploring Indigenous identity and the bonds that root us to a community, Kuessipan is a bold ode to young womanhood." ~ MUBI

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Ludi

$395.00

Trailer LUDI Art.mp4 from ArtMattan Productions on Vimeo.

After a half truth lands her under immense financial pressure, Ludi Alcidor embarks on a frantic scour through Miami's private care-taking world in an increasingly desperate attempt to send money to her family in Haiti.

Ludi's interaction with her Cuban landlord and her senior Jewish client, offers a glance at the life of Haitian immigrants in Miami.

Directed by Edson Jean, USA, 2021, 81 Minutes, drama, English and Haitian Creole with English subtitles

"Jean's "Ludi" is the type of low-stakes drama that's easy to root for, and even more wonderful to see" - Robert Daniels, The Playlist

"This is one of the best films of the year so far, and that comes as a result of the hard work and dedication from everyone involved." - Kyle Bain, Film Threat

"An examination of the difficulties inherent in that so-called American Dream, with a magnetic lead performance from Shein Mompremier. Ludi is a charming, tragic, painful, and beautiful film to behold." -Aaron Peterson, Hollywood Outsider

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MAMA AFRICA: MIRIAM MAKEBA + ACES

$395.00

MAMA AFRICA: MIRIAM MAKEBA

DIRECTED BY MIKA KAURISMÄKI

SOUTH AFRICA AND GERMANY / 2011 / ENGLISH / 90 MIN

SYNOPSIS

Miriam Makeba was one of the first African musicians who won international stardom and whose music was always anchored in her traditional South African roots. Miriam Makeba was forced into exile in 1959.

She sang for John F. Kennedy, performed with Harry Belafonte and Nina Simone, was married to Hugh Masekela and also Stokely Carmichael.

Her life was tumultuous. She always stood for truth and justice. She fought for the oppressed most importantly for black Africans, as a campaigner against apartheid. She died November 2008 after a concert in Italy.

Mika Kaurismäki's documentary, traces fifty years of her music and her performing life. Through rare archive footage of her performances and through interviews with her contemporaries we discover the remarkable journey of Miriam Makeba.

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Mika Kaurismäki

Starring: Hugh Masekela

Starring: Angélique Kidjo

Starring: Harry Belafonte

GENRES

Documentary

BONUS FILM

ACES

DIRECTED BY NTANDAZO "DIDI" GCINGCA

SOUTH AFRICA / 1999 / ENGLISH / 17 MIN

SYNOPSIS

Aces is the story of a young man who fights against the battering of his mother by his drunken father. The situation escalates until Ace desperately stabs his father to death, and is sent to jail for a period of 15 years. Nine years later he is out on parole. He kills again within a day's time of his release.

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Ntandazo "Didi" Gcingca

GENRE

Short Drama

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MARY LOU WILLIAMS: THE LADY WHO SWINGS THE BAND

$295.00

MARY LOU WILLIAMS TRAILER from ArtMattan Productions on Vimeo.

MARY LOU WILLIAMS: THE LADY WHO SWINGS THE BAND

DIRECTED BY CAROL BASH

U.S.A. / 2015 / ENGLISH / 60 MIN

SYNOPSIS

She was ahead of her time, a genius. During an era when Jazz was the nation's popular music, Mary Lou Williams was one of its greatest innovators. As both a pianist and composer, she was a font of daring and creativity who helped shape the sound of 20th century America. And like the dynamic, turbulent nation in which she lived, Williams seemed to redefine herself with every passing decade.

From child prodigy to "Boogie-Woogie Queen" to groundbreaking composer to mentoring some of the greatest musicians of all time, Mary Lou Williams never ceased to astound those who heard her play. But away from the piano, Williams was a woman in a "man's world," a black person in a "whites only" society, an ambitious artist who dared to be different, and who struggled against the imperatives of being a "star." Above all, she did not fit the (still) prevailing notions of where genius comes from or what it looks like. Time and again, she pushed back against a world that said, "You can't" and said, "I can." It nearly cost her everything.

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Carol Bash

Starring: Alfre Woodard

Starring: Geri Allen

Starring: Carmen Lundy

GENRES

Documentary

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Music Pictures: New Orleans

$395.00

Music Pictures: New Orlean Trailer Art from ArtMattan Productions on Vimeo.

Music Pictures: New Orleans gives us legacy portraits and a rare backstage access into the lives and craft of four New Orleans music legends: Irma Thomas, Little Freddie King, Ellis Marsalis, and The Tremé Brass Band. Now in their 80s, these local masters continue their practice, for the love of the music, in the city that made them who they are.

Thomas, a Grammy-winning vocalist known as “The Soul Queen of New Orleans,” has recorded cult classics with James Brown, Allen Toussaint and Swamp Dogg. But she never enjoyed the same degree of international fame of her contemporaries like Aretha Franklin. Jones is the founder of the world renowned Tremé Brass Band and a fixture in the New Orleans jazz community. King is one of the last original bluesmen who at the age of 81 still performs live. Marsalis - father of internationally acclaimed musician, composer and bandleader Wynton Marsalis - is the patriarch of the famed jazz family who helped found the modern jazz scene in the 1950s.

Music Pictures: New Orleans follows these four artists one by one as they rehearse, perform and talk about their lives as it celebrates 100 years of New Orleans musical history with rare historical footage and testimonies.

Directed by Ben Chace, 2022, USA, 72 Min, Documentary, English

"Music Pictures: New Orleans is a pleasantly entertaining, early 2020s snapshot of four influential artists in blues and jazz." - Culture Mix

"Sometimes if you’re tired of documentaries that try to push a one-sided political message, a musical documentary can fix that. The documentary Music Pictures: New Orleans is an insightful documentary of a town with a century of a music legacy." ~ Jon The Blogcentric.org

" Music Pictures: New Orleans is a great documentary showcasing musicians, both individuals and groups, and how their sound has an impact not only on the sounds of New Orleans but on musical genres as a whole. It’s as much about its past legacy as it is about its present and future." ~ Jon The Blogcentric.org

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PARIS NOIR: AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE CITY OF LIGHTS

$295.00

Paris Noir - African Americans In The City Of Light series intro trailer from ArtMattan Productions on Vimeo.

PARIS NOIR: AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE CITY OF LIGHTS

DIRECTED BY JOANNE BURKE

U.S.A. AND FRANCE / 2017 / ENGLISH / 60 MIN

SYNOPSIS

Paris Noir - African Americans in the City of Light is an exciting, enlightening documentary on the presence of African Americans in Paris from WWI to the early 1960s.

The film touches on:

- Josephine Baker, Bricktop and Sidney Bechet
- Writers Langston Hughes and Claude McKay
- The connections forged with top African and Caribbean writers and intellectuals Leopold Senghor, Aimé Cesaire, and the Nardal Sisters
- The achievements and challenges of artists in Montparnasse
- The exploitation and growing self-determination of people of color from and in France's vast overseas empire

Looking back today at their astounding achievements and the beneficial cultural exchange between France and Black America stirs up lively conversation. These jazz musicians, writers, artists, intellectuals - they launched the appreciation of Black culture worldwide.

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Joanne Burke

GENRES

Documentary

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RETURN TO GORÉE

$345.00

RETURN TO GORÉE

DIRECTED BY PIERRE-YVES BORGEAUD

SENEGAL, SWITZERLAND AND FRANCE / 2006 / ENGLISH AND FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 108 MIN

SYNOPSIS

A musical road movie, Return to Gorée follows Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour's historical journey tracing the trail left by enslaved Africans and the jazz music they created. Youssou N'Dour's challenge is to bring back to Africa a jazz repertoire of his own songs to perform a concert in Gorée, the island that today symbolizes the slave trade and stands to honor its victims.

From Atlanta to New Orleans, from New York to Bordeaux and Luxembourg, the songs are transformed, immersed in jazz and gospel. Transcending cultural divisions and rehearsing with of some of the world's most exceptional musicians, Youssou N'Dour is preparing to return to Africa for the final concert...

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Pierre-Yves Borgeaud

Starring: Youssou N'Dour

Starring: Moncef Genoud

Starring: Idris Muhammad

GENRES

Musical Documentary

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STAND DOWN SOLDIER

$245.00

STAND DOWN SOLDIER

DIRECTED BY JERYL PRESCOTT

U.S.A. / 2015 / ENGLISH / 82 MIN

SYNOPSIS

Life of women after military service is seldom portrayed in films. The drama Stand Down Soldier tells the story of Sergeant Stacy Armstrong who returns home from three deployments suffering with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Soon after her return, she and her husband realize their 20-year marriage is about to be another casualty of war. Infidelity, addiction, and a tragic accident test the couple’s commitment.

This fiction film explores some of the issues many returning soldiers confront in their civil life including mental health issues, loneliness, and drug addiction.

Writer, director, producer, and lead actress in STAND DOWN SOLDIER, Jeryl is an actress best known for her portrayal of Jacqui in The Walking Dead.

She started writing the award-winning script for "Stand Down Soldier" after conversations with female family members and friends from her home state of SC who served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“It was both revelatory and refreshing to see that a film about a soldier’s return home from active duty in Iraq is focused on a woman.” ~ Highbrow Magazine
Read Full Review HERE

“Stand Down Soldier is a poignant film about an African-American female soldier back to civilian life after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. This film took me by surprise, and I really enjoyed it.” ~ Film Monthly.

Read Full Review HERE

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Jeryl Prescott

Starring: Jeryl Prescott

Starring: Maria Russell

Starring: Harry Lennix

GENRES

Drama

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THE INVISIBLE COLOR: BLACK CUBANS IN MIAMI

$295.00

THE INVISIBLE COLOR: BLACK CUBANS IN MIAMI

DIRECTED BY SERGIO GIRAL

USA / 2017 / ENGLISH AND SPANISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 47 MIN

SYNOPSIS

This latest documentary by the Dean of Afro-Cuban Cinema Sergio Giral investigates the black Cuban exile community in South Florida, since the first wave of political refugees in the 1959 revolutionary aftermath, to today. It tracks its presence throughout the region, and highlights its contribution to Miami's civic culture through testimonies and visual documentation.

DIRECTOR

Director: Sergio Giral

GENRE

Documentary

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THE SLEEPING NEGRO

$395.00

WINNER!
* FIPRESCI Award, International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg 2022, Germany
* VISIONARY AWARD , Cinequest 2022

Confronted with a series of racially charged incidents, a young black man must overcome rage, alienation, and hopelessness in order to find his own humanity.

The young black man, simply identified as “Man,” must resolve the personal meaning of his blackness when his white boss orders him to commit fraud to benefit the corporation. Struggling with an overwhelming sense of shame for going through with the illegal demand, Man seeks consolation by discussing his unease with a black former friend and his white fiancé. Those conversations lead only to further confusion and frustrations...

Following on the footstep of the LA Rebellion filmmakers, Skinner Myers tells a very personal and intimate Black story in a radically non-traditional cinematic style as a means to express freely his feelings as a Black man in America.

By Skinner Myers, USA, 2021, 72min, Drama, English

"A superb character study of a black man, how he sees himself and how he was treated by society, it is surreal yet real and terrifying." ~ Ulkar Alakbarova, moviemovesme.com

"Remaining asleep to Myers as an African-American is a sin, but so is to be completely awake to the point where love for the self is all but embraced. In this impassioned, vigorous, lucid cinematic journey, the bleak, bruised-yet-fighting spirit of one Kendrick Lamar’s and every other prominent African artist strikes like lightning, and resonates like thunder. Like the greats, Myers, is a voice in his lane to place one’s focus on; his artistry effortlessly commanding, a feat implying many more to be accomplished in a budding career in American independent filmmaking." ~ LOUIE BAHAROM, cinephiliaph.wordpress.com

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WHITE LIKE THE MOON

$145.00

WHITE LIKE THE MOON

DIRECTED BY MARINA GONZALEZ PALMIER

U.S.A. / 2001 / ENGLISH / 23 MIN

SYNOPSIS

A Mexican-American girl struggles to keep her identity when her mother forces her to bleach her skin. White Like the Moon is a revealing film about a dilemma not very well known outside Latino communities; that of the myth of the light skin superiority in Indigenous and Indigenous descendant communities.

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Marina Gonzalez Palmier

Starring: Misha Aziz

Starring: Diana Burbano

Starring: Crystal Leah Chacon

GENRES

Drama

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Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun

$395.00

Zora Neale Hurston, path-breaking novelist, pioneering anthropologist and one of the first black women to enter the American literary canon (Their Eyes Were Watching God), established the African American vernacular as one of the most vital, inventive voices in American literature. This definitive film biography, eighteen years in the making, portrays Zora in all her complexity: gifted, flamboyant, and controversial but always fiercely original.

Directed by Sam Pollard, 2008, USA, 84 Min, Documentary, English

"Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun is a moving interpretation of Zora Neale Hurston's life and career. In fact, a viewer can easily sit halfway through the eighty-four-minute film and forget one is watching a documentary," ~Project Muse

"Kudos to Bay Bottom News and American Masters for their professional production, and for bringing to light an amazing and long overdue story of a legendary icon and storyteller of the Harlem Renaissance and beyond,"~ Pennsylvania State University

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