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COMMENTARY: First Lady of Writing — Camille Tucker Talks Clark Sisters Biopic

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Tucker has been in and around Hollywood since college (UCLA). A chance meeting at a barbeque produced the opportunity to co-write a script (Golddiggaz) with legendary director, John Singleton. Her screenwriting success continued with the sale of seven screenplays and a TV pilot to several major studios – Sony, Universal, New Line, Fox TV and Disney Studios.

Published

4 years ago

April 20, 2020

Oakland Post

Camille Tucker, co-writer of The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel (Photo: Camille Tucker)

By Michele Brown, author of Adventures of Gideon: Kingdom Principles and Life Lessons My Dog Taught Me

What do you get when you mix the daughter of a Baptist pastor, an educator mother with acting aspirations, the 4H Club, a Guatemalan caregiver and the rural-meets-urban multicultural landscape of the Richland Farms neighborhood in Compton, CA? You get the rich, bilingual personal history of screenwriter/director, Camille Tucker.

“People from Compton take great pride in their hometown given all the negative stereotypes associated with it,” says the screenwriter. As a member of one of the first families of Compton, she knows first-hand how negative perceptions can shape a community. Her father was the former mayor of the city. She grew up in a home that hosted Harry Belafonte, Jesse Jackson, Sr. and Sidney Poitier. Camille knows a little bit about being from a high-profile family and the dynamics that accompany it.

Photo: A&E Networks

On the eve of the premiere of the Lifetime TV biopic, The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel, The Burton Wire caught up with the co-writer of the film to talk perseverance, music, family and representation. Like the rest of us, Camille is working from home – fielding calls from well-wishers excited about the production of her first script.

The Journey to the Screen

While this may look like an overnight success, it is not. Tucker has been in and around Hollywood since college (UCLA). A chance meeting at a barbeque produced the opportunity to co-write a script (Golddiggaz) with legendary director, John Singleton. Her screenwriting success continued with the sale of seven screenplays and a TV pilot to several major studios – Sony, Universal, New Line, Fox TV and Disney Studios.

All this in preparation for the 15-year journey to the screen of her first produced script. Talent and opportunity were bathed in faith for this ordained Christian minister and Biola University Associate Professor of screenwriting. “In 2005, when we started pitching this (she was working with Moesha Show Runner Sara Finney-Johnson), these kinds of stories were not considered without A-list Black woman star power like Halle Berry or Angela Bassett attached,” said Tucker. Fast forward to 2017. Sara is committed elsewhere, and Camille is on her own. The cultural landscape has radically changed, and Hollywood is finally ready to tell the story of a legendary family of black women whose sound has shaped R&B, Pop, and gospel music for generations.

The film’s original producer, Holly Carter (Preachers of L.A.), partnered with Queen Latifah and Tucker was hired to develop the story. She expertly navigated several decades and the development of an ensemble cast whose nexus was the family matriarch, Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, brilliantly played by Aunjanue Ellis. Tucker successfully developed the script and it was sold to Lifetime TV. They brought on Sylvia L. Jones – the two black women screenwriters share writing credit on the film.

The beauty of this story’s journey has facets. This is a story about Black women – written, directed and produced by Black women. “You’ll see this story through an authentically Black lens. Young Black women will see this and know they can do it too,” says Tucker. The film showcases the most uplifting of music genres, gospel music. The Clark Sisters brought it outside of the four walls of the church into the mainstream. Tucker’s story of persistence and patience showcases the power of an idea in its journey to the screen – much like the story of this family – excellence over easy always.

The film highlights the influence of a matriarch who was a trailblazer in her own right – a five-time gold record recording artist and the International Director of Music for the Church of God in Christ. Each of these achievements almost unheard of for a Black woman at that time. Dr. Mattie Moss Clark did this and so much more. She endured great pain at the hand of the two things she loved the most, her husband and her church. Yet she held fast to her vision and taught her daughters to do the same.

Now the world will get to see the story of a great family that faced the same issues we face and through it all, they managed to use their gift of music to offer hope to the world. The world could use some of that right now.

The Clark Sisters is a love letter to Black women and we graciously receive it. The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel airs on Lifetime and can probably be streamed on your local cable network.

This article was written by Michele Brown, author of Adventures of Gideon: Kingdom Principles and Life Lessons My Dog Taught Me. Check her out at michelespen.com.

Follow The Burton Wire on Twitter @TheBurtonWire.

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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.