"The Black Woman's Heart"

Laughing hysterically. I’m sitting in my bedroom at 1 AM, cracking up at the hypocrisy I’ve seen recently. I’m a black man, first and foremost. My love for black people is an extension of my origin. However, I’m seeing attacks on black women, and I'm not too fond of it. There’s a saying that the “black woman is the most attacked and probably the most disrespected” individual within our country. I truly believe in that quote. I find it quite fascinating how even within my own community, black women are still treated poorly. Yet, black women are expected to carry the world’s burdens for whatever cause they may be. I ask this simple question. Aside from other black women, who are carrying their burdens? Who’s supporting them? Who’s rallying behind them? Those are honest questions I continue to ask, and they will be celebrated in my films. I am currently working on a major production with an international opera star, actress, educator, and director, Denyce Graves. She’s an Emmy & Grammy award-winning artist. She’s a beautiful person inside and out. Her rendition of “Mon Coeur S’ouvre Ta Voix” is one of the most riveting interpretations of that love aria I’ve ever heard. The aria is a passionate piece from Act 2 of Samson and Delilah where Delilah is yearning for Samson to convey his deepest, darkest secret to her. She questions his love for her. Now I’m sure most of us know how that story ends, but the interpretation of this aria is so profound and complex. 

I recently played Ms. Graves’s version of the piece to my class. I teach English & Language Arts in the heart of Washington, D.C. Most of my students have never been exposed to opera. Don’t get me started on that, but their responses were riveting when I played the piece for them. I had one particular student who literally broke down in tears. He didn’t understand the lyrics because it was in French, but the song was so powerful it moved him. He said he felt emotions he’d never felt before. Now this young man is 12, but it brought such warmth to my heart to know that art is universal. A young boy from D.C. is listening to a French aria and responds in such a powerful way as if he heard the voice of God. That says something about Denyce Graves and her incredible gift. 

She is a woman who has not forgotten her roots. She’s a woman in an interracial marriage but refuses to abandon the blackness that her husband celebrates. She’s proud. She’s strong. She’s resilient. She’s soulful. She’s simply wonderful. Yet, I’ve found myself disgusted with the world’s caricature of a woman like Denyce. 

There’s a narrative pushed that places “black women” in the position of being a martyr. It’s a narrative that says the black woman is supposed to uplift, support, and encourage everyone else and their causes. But here’s my question. Who’s uplifting her? Who’s rallying behind her? Who’s celebrating her? Who’s encouraging her? As a writer, director, and producer, my goal has always been to tell authentic stories from the Black American experience. However, I find myself innately drawn to black female narratives because of my upbringing. Some fierce women raised me: Aunt Fannie, Aunt Frances, Aunt Deirtra, Aunt Baps, Aunt Natalie, my big sister “Jules,” Grandma, Nana, and of course my mommy “Yvonne.” These women were resilient, powerful, encouraging, supportive, loving, and most of all compassionate. Two of my favorite teachers, Ms. Beard and Ms. Kendall, were black women who pushed me to be the best that I could be. They were the only 2 teachers out of all the educators that came in and out of my life who made an astounding impact on my life. These women taught me how to love and celebrate women, especially African American women truly. I often joke that my mom erased the “male-centered ego” out of me because she wanted me to be the kind of man that could stand in his manhood and confidence alongside an equally strong, confident, self-assured woman. It brings me to tears thinking about it because I am today, working with a female-led producer’s team on a major feature film. While I am the head of the ship, I’ve learned how to be diplomatic and fair. The women on my team lead. They are focused. They are driven, and they have something positive to say. I don’t think I would be able to lead so had it not been for those women I listed earlier in this post. 

What’s even more fascinating is that Denyce Graves has always been a role model and pillar in my life, even before we even laid eyes on one another. So when we met, it was almost as if we’d known each other our whole lives. But to be extremely transparent, our souls are touched in such a magnificent, organic way. I cannot wait for the world to see her beauty, expressive nature, and soul transcend itself on film. She is about to break another major barrier in our industry. She is about to show the world that a black female, GenerationXer, is still beautiful, smart, talented, compassionate, and fierce despite all the odds stacked against her. She is going to show the world and Hollywood; that time is up! The old, stereotypical narratives of the Black American experience are no longer warranted or necessary. It is time for new stories to be told. New perspectives. New thoughts. New understandings of how we move and shake in this world. 

Don’t be afraid. Embrace it. Celebrate it. Capture it. Support it. That’s where true change comes from, and this is when you can truly allow yourself to be original, authentically. 

In the words of Denyce Graves, “we need to tell the stories that have been left out of the American narrative.”

STAY TUNED for the premiere of “DREAMS HAVE NO END” Part 1: A Denyce Graves Interview” tonight at 7/8 PM (CST/EST)!!!!!!!

Written by

Alan R.H. Nettles