Representation in Cinema: The Harder They Fall

Our Voices Project, Co-Founded by Jackie McGriff and Deborah Alvarez is hosting its first virtual event in a series called Representation in Cinema.

In this series, we will discuss the representation of Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color in movies. We want to address the things that we love seeing,  the tropes and stereotypes that Hollywood continues to perpetuate on screen, and what representation we'd like to see moving forward. We are pleased to start off our series with talking in depth about The Harder They Fall.

The Harder They Fall is the story about an outlaw, Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) who discovers that his enemy, Rufus Buck (Idris Elba), is being released from prison. After this news, he reunites with his gang to seek revenge. The Harder They Fall also stars Regina King, Zazie Beetz, Delroy Lindo, LaKeith Stanfield, and Deon Cole and is directed by Jeymes Samuel.

Watch the film on Netflix, register here, and then come ready to discuss what you loved, what you didn't love, and to learn about the very REAL people depicted in the movie.

To help us highlight these Black historical figures and talk about the film, we are honored to have the following guest speakers:

Dr. Katrina M. Overby is an Assistant Professor in the School of Communication. As an activist scholar, Dr. Overby researches Black Twitter, social media and culture, African American cinema, race and identity in television and popular culture and sports media. She is a Black film/media enthusiast and worked at the Black Film Center/Archive located at Indiana University, where she received her doctorate in 2019. In 2021, Dr. Overby published the article Red Bottoms, Gold, and Ass: The Werk of Serena Williams on the Cover of Harper's Bazaar​ and a co-authored book chapter Black and Quarantined: Celebrating Black Identity During COVID-19 via Instagram.

Gabrielle Brannigan is a teacher leader with the Antiracist Curriculum Project. She is a Social Studies teacher and coach in Monroe County.

O. Nicholas Robertson, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).  He has research/teaching interests in crime, law, deviance; race, ethnicity and immigration; and the African diaspora. He is an Irondequoit resident, a steering committee member, and the Director of Research and Policy for E.R.A.S.E (Eliminating Racism and Seeking Equity), a local racial justice organization.

Justin Connor is a senior at Irondequoit High School whose mission in life is to become a teacher with a focus on social studies while also teaching Black History in his classes. He also portrayed Bass Reeves in the Black History Month series, a collaborative project between Irondequoit High School's Diversity Club, Mosaic, and Our Voices Project, where he highlighted many aspects of Bass Reeves' life and contributions to our society. Justin also gave a speech to the West Irondequoit Central School District Board of Education about the need for anti-racist curricula as a way to stop racial abuse and discrimination in schools.

You can watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/pKz5kZr8mrg