lune 25, 2014
Fortiani» (Obstruer
Page 5
Black Girl in Suburbia
Filmmaker explores racial ignorance
and alienation of suburbia
by D onovan M.
S mith
Initially, she says she didn’t re
T he P ortland O bserver
ally notice a change in culture; she
A young girl takes in a drink at the was still attending Sabin. But once
water fountain and the boy next to school in the ‘burbs began, Lowery,
her, well, he refuses. He fears the with her hair neatly braided and
color of the girl ’ s skin might rub off beads added for decoration, says
on him if he did. It was at this m o she was made aware by her new
ment in childhood that M elissa peers that she was somehow “dif
Lowery says she no longer ques ferent”.
tioned if she was different. She knew
“I knew we moved but I didn’t
then she was a black girl in suburbia. realize the people until I started
That experience and many others school out there, and that’s when, I
have served as fuel for a film she was like, okay this is a little different
recently released entitled “BlackGirl than what I’m used to,” Lowery
in Suburbia.” The documentary ex says.
plores the tales of women of African
She credits the taunts, teases,
descent, some still in school, some and questions from her schoolmates
long past graduation, who were pri to a genuine ignorance, and lack of
marily raised and educated in mostly opportunity to interact with many, if
white communities.
any, black people.
It’s a story particularly close to
It was the moment at the water
heart for Lowery; not only did she fountain, though, that cemented a
spend almost all of her young life deep alienation rooted in cultural
living and going to school in West misunderstandings. Racial igno
Linn, but now a mother herself and rance amongst her peers was some
a graduate of media arts at Pacific thing she would have to navigate
University, her school-aged daugh up until she walked the stage for
ters are navigating the sometimes graduation at W est Linn High
turbulent racial currents of their School.
mostly white classrooms in subur
She says her best-friend at the
ban Hillsboro.
time, May, who was also black, and
Lowery, 38, says she has quite a youth social service group she
vivid memories of her earliest years created in high school for some of
around what was essentially the the few students of color, helped
hub of black culture in Oregon, her keep a sense of pride in her
northeast Portland. She lived by culture.
Lloyd Center, went to school at Sabin
On the whole, Lowery reflects on
Elementary, and caught the Lord’s her childhood with fondness. She
word with her mom at Woodlawn says it was her own children’ s expe
United Methodist Church. Black- riences with race and identity that
nesssimply ‘was’ for her at the time. caused her to explore the subject
But in first grade, hermomremar- deeper.
ried, and she her brother and new
In 2010, she began crafting “Black
stepsister would make the switch Girl in Suburbia” simply to validate
from northeast Portland to call West her daughter’s own experiences,
Linn home.
and share the stories of other black
photo by D onovan M. S mith /T he P ortland O bserver
Filmmaker Melissa Lowery looks into the experiences black girls
face growing up in predominately white communities with her
documentary ‘Black Girl in Surburbia’.
women on film.
Though she and her husband
make a conscious effort to let their
two young girls know they are beau
tiful on a constant basis, the couple
knows how negative perceptions
directed at them based on racial
prejudices can take place outside of
home.
When she released the trailer for
her film as production got under
way in 2011, she realized just how
potent and relatable a story about
growing up in predominately white
communities was for others. People
from Florida to Illinois began re
sponding to Lowery detailing how
much they related to the story and
how they anticipated the film ’s re
lease.
From there Lowery made it an
even higher priority to focus the
documentary’s directive on creat
ing conversations around race, gen
der, identity and other subjects.
“I want it to spark som ething
inside,” she says, “Because th at’s
my way of starting change, be
cause once you have a conversa
tion with som ebody, you take that
continued
on page 12
Upholstery Cleaning • Sofa/Loveseat • Pet Stains • Flood Restorations
a w n auimiet sivuun
S 0 3 -7 0 S -2 S 8 7
2 Rooms + Hall
Extra
I rooms $10
each with
coupon.
I________
J
~l
■Complete House I
We Also Do Janitorial Services
Licensed • Bonded • Insured
Carpet Cleaning
I
Up to
lOOOsq feet
with coupon.
I
I4W) Free |
Spot/Stain Removal • 24 Hour Flood Service
Deoderizer | Upholstery Cleaning • Area Rug Cleaning • Dry Time 2-4 Hours
I
Free Estimates • Available Weekends
THE
SPINA1COLUMN
TM
An ongoing scries of questions and answers about Americas natural healing profession.
Part 3. ALLERGIES: Why Chiropractic
often works more effectively than drugs.
: Nothing else has ever really
helped my allergies. What can
Chiropractic possibly do?
First, take a look at the word
itself. “Allergy” is a shortened
form of “a/tered energy.” Way back
when patients first complained of aller
gic symptoms, it was obvious to the
physician who coined the term that
somehow, the body’s energy configu
ration had shifted and caused the prob
lem. Chiropractors now know that the
Q
A :
Dr. Billy R. Flowers
central nervous system controls the
body’s flow of energy. We also know
that when the spinal column is out of
alignment, it interferes with the central
nervous system’s flow of energy. When
those nerves leading to the eyes or nose
or throat are being interfered with, “al
tered energy" symptoms result. By co r
recting the source o f the problem , not
ju st the sym ptoms, Chiropractic can
often provide com plete, lasting re
lief. W ithout drugs or drowsiness.
For help with your allergy-related
problem s or answers to any ques
tions you might have about your
health, your will find that Chiroprac
tic is often the answer. Call us for an
appointm ent today.
Flowers' Chiropractic Office
2124 NE Hancock, Portland Oregon 97212 • P h o n e : ( 5 0 3 ) 2 8 7 * 5 5 0 4