Filling the Herstory Void

Our March newsletter features a Q&A with BPM filmmaker Angela Lynn Tucker. The interview focuses on her experience making The Inquisitor, a new documentary about the late great Barbara Jordan. Tucker recounts how “blown away” she was when first encountering comments Jordan made during the Watergate hearings. Eager to learn more, she searched for a documentary about her, but found none. Though disappointed, she wasn’t surprised. “…think about how many incredible Black women still need films made about them,” she told BPM. So, Tucker took it upon herself to help fill the herstory void.

One of the best things about Women’s History Month, and all other official history month observances, is they create space for Americans to learn about the diverse array of people who’ve helped make this nation what it is today. They also create opportunities for filmmakers to tell valuable stories.

Black Herstories are Our Business

Black Public Media always welcomes the chance to partner with makers who focus their sights on the stories of Black women. Shamefully, Black herstories are not only neglected by people outside of our communities, they’re even overlooked within our communities.

Among the other Black women whose stories BPM is proud to have helped bring to the public in recent years are: Gloria Allen (aka Mama Gloria), Marian Anderson, Maya Angelou, Daisy Bates, Diahann Carroll, Shirley Chisholm, Althea Gibson, Pam Grier, Fannie Lou Hamer, Lena Horne, Abby Lincoln, Audre Lorde, Betye Saar, Augusta Savage, Hazel Scott, Nina Simone, and Cicely Tyson. 

This month, we commend filmmakers who, like Tucker, dare to unearth and share these Black herstories with the public. If you haven’t already watched The Inquisitor, I highly recommend it and the other stories I’ve linked to in this post. But don’t stop there. This month, POV is offering a slate of 13 other herstory films worth watching and PBS stations across the country are featuring the stories of local women changemakers. 

American herstories are not only inspirational, they remind us just how fortunate we are to live in a society that has spent 250 years being shaped by people of every gender, race, culture, religion, nationality, and economic status. Granted, it hasn’t been easy, but it’s certainly a legacy worth documenting.