deerstalker
https://blackgirlnerds.com/soft-and-strong-with-geffri-maya-of-all-american-homecoming/
First things first, it’s Geffri Maya, not Geffri Maya Hightower. This is the first thing I learned.
And, no, “Geffri” isn’t a stage name. Her mother liked the juxtaposition of masculine and feminine names and the combination of “soft and strong,” so they landed on Geffri. With her Instagram handle being “girlwithaboysname,” it seems like she’s owning it.
In fact, “Soft and strong” might be the best way to describe both Geffri and her All American: Homecoming character Simone.
Like Simone, Geffri has attended a historically Black college or university (HBCU). While Simone attends the fictional Bringston University, Geffri graduated from Clark Atlanta. I’m confused when she tells me this because multiple sites have painted her as a twenty-two-year-old, and I’m shocked someone so young could be this accomplished and composed. It turns out, according to Geffri, “that’s very incorrect,” but she’s not upset at the mistake.
This seems to be a running theme with Geffri: she is driven towards success, but she understands the occasional need for compromise.
Take, for example, the story of how she landed the role of Simone on the original All American.
Simone was originally written as a three-episode character, “maybe five.” Still, Geffri saw the silver lining: “In a sense, [a supporting role] is attractive because, if you’re connected to a lead, then you know you have some importance, and you know that you’re at least gonna be there for a while.”
“Long enough to at least pay your bills,” she adds.
Beyond the financial, however, Geffri saw the cultural importance of the role. When I ask what attracted her to the role, she clarifies that, although Simone’s original limited run didn’t have her necessarily sprinting to the audience, All American as a cultural phenomenon did.
“I was attracted to All American… It was one of those things where it was like, ‘I have to be on this show,’ because it’s about Black people, and I wanted to be a part of it because it had such an impact on the culture.”
With this, I see the “soft.”
The “strong,” though, comes out moments later when she describes the benefits of being on a popular program. “All American has a huge fanbase: from men to women, Black to white, rich to poor. That’s attractive in general because it allows you to solidify your legacy, in a sense” — the strong — “and to be a part of something that makes people feel good.” The soft.
Talking to Geffri, I begin to better understand Simone as a character.
Simone’s arc throughout the season has been one of moving on and growing up — the commonplaces of a college experience. But, of course, hers has been a different journey than that of the college students we usually see on television. She was married, then divorced. She had a child, and then she placed him with an adoptive family.
She comes from a nuclear family, but “nuclear” means something entirely different when it concerns her combative mother. Though Geffri has had a very different life from this, coming from a single-parent household in which her grandmother was also one of her primary caretakers, she still brings a lot of her own vulnerability and steadfastness to Simone. That said, Geffri is still learning about the character.
“Starting off All American, she was a fixture, to a degree, and support for a lot of different characters’ storylines. But now that we have Homecoming, it’s amazing to actually have an opportunity to get to know her, her experiences, her triggers, and how she moves with the ebbs and flows of being a college student, [with] being a young adult.
But I think that the most fun aspect of being to grow with the character is that you kind of creates this person. So, it’s kind of like everything that Simone is — to All American, to Homecoming, and to me — I just naturally pull from myself. So it’s fun to add little bits and pieces of Geffri to the role I’m playing because it makes it light-hearted, and it makes it authentic. And that’s what really matters.”
We discuss Homecoming’s focus on Black Excellence as a theme. When I ask Geffri about this phrase and her relationship to it, the soft and the strong cohere in a way that makes each one indistinguishable from the other.
“I just think that time has always been now for Black people to be celebrated for who we are. Like, truly authentically. [We’re] not looking to be received under a certain gaze. Unfortunately, we’ve had this mindset that for us to be taken seriously, we have to have our hair a certain kind of way; it has to be a certain kind of length; we have to have a certain kind of skin tone. All of that has been devastating for a people to try to progress past. But,” she adds, “I’m so proud of us as a community, as artists, as movers and shakers… there are so many things we as a people have done and continue to do.”
We circle back to HBCUs and their impact.
“I want kids to be excited to explore and experience what it may be like to be educated by people who look like you. To be in classrooms with people who predominantly look like you.”
The soft and the strong remain cleaved together as she makes a final statement: “I want kids to know that there’s not one type of way to celebrate being Black, to be a Black person. I just want Black people to remember we’re on a steady climb. But we’re here, you know?”
All American: Homecoming is shown Mondays at 9pm on The CW and The CW’s streaming service.
“We’ve always been here.”
First things first, it’s Geffri Maya, not Geffri Maya Hightower. This is the first thing I learned.
And, no, “Geffri” isn’t a stage name. Her mother liked the juxtaposition of masculine and feminine names and the combination of “soft and strong,” so they landed on Geffri. With her Instagram handle being “girlwithaboysname,” it seems like she’s owning it.
In fact, “Soft and strong” might be the best way to describe both Geffri and her All American: Homecoming character Simone.
Like Simone, Geffri has attended a historically Black college or university (HBCU). While Simone attends the fictional Bringston University, Geffri graduated from Clark Atlanta. I’m confused when she tells me this because multiple sites have painted her as a twenty-two-year-old, and I’m shocked someone so young could be this accomplished and composed. It turns out, according to Geffri, “that’s very incorrect,” but she’s not upset at the mistake.
This seems to be a running theme with Geffri: she is driven towards success, but she understands the occasional need for compromise.
Take, for example, the story of how she landed the role of Simone on the original All American.
Simone was originally written as a three-episode character, “maybe five.” Still, Geffri saw the silver lining: “In a sense, [a supporting role] is attractive because, if you’re connected to a lead, then you know you have some importance, and you know that you’re at least gonna be there for a while.”
“Long enough to at least pay your bills,” she adds.
Beyond the financial, however, Geffri saw the cultural importance of the role. When I ask what attracted her to the role, she clarifies that, although Simone’s original limited run didn’t have her necessarily sprinting to the audience, All American as a cultural phenomenon did.
“I was attracted to All American… It was one of those things where it was like, ‘I have to be on this show,’ because it’s about Black people, and I wanted to be a part of it because it had such an impact on the culture.”
With this, I see the “soft.”
The “strong,” though, comes out moments later when she describes the benefits of being on a popular program. “All American has a huge fanbase: from men to women, Black to white, rich to poor. That’s attractive in general because it allows you to solidify your legacy, in a sense” — the strong — “and to be a part of something that makes people feel good.” The soft.
Talking to Geffri, I begin to better understand Simone as a character.
Simone’s arc throughout the season has been one of moving on and growing up — the commonplaces of a college experience. But, of course, hers has been a different journey than that of the college students we usually see on television. She was married, then divorced. She had a child, and then she placed him with an adoptive family.
She comes from a nuclear family, but “nuclear” means something entirely different when it concerns her combative mother. Though Geffri has had a very different life from this, coming from a single-parent household in which her grandmother was also one of her primary caretakers, she still brings a lot of her own vulnerability and steadfastness to Simone. That said, Geffri is still learning about the character.
“Starting off All American, she was a fixture, to a degree, and support for a lot of different characters’ storylines. But now that we have Homecoming, it’s amazing to actually have an opportunity to get to know her, her experiences, her triggers, and how she moves with the ebbs and flows of being a college student, [with] being a young adult.
But I think that the most fun aspect of being to grow with the character is that you kind of creates this person. So, it’s kind of like everything that Simone is — to All American, to Homecoming, and to me — I just naturally pull from myself. So it’s fun to add little bits and pieces of Geffri to the role I’m playing because it makes it light-hearted, and it makes it authentic. And that’s what really matters.”
We discuss Homecoming’s focus on Black Excellence as a theme. When I ask Geffri about this phrase and her relationship to it, the soft and the strong cohere in a way that makes each one indistinguishable from the other.
“I just think that time has always been now for Black people to be celebrated for who we are. Like, truly authentically. [We’re] not looking to be received under a certain gaze. Unfortunately, we’ve had this mindset that for us to be taken seriously, we have to have our hair a certain kind of way; it has to be a certain kind of length; we have to have a certain kind of skin tone. All of that has been devastating for a people to try to progress past. But,” she adds, “I’m so proud of us as a community, as artists, as movers and shakers… there are so many things we as a people have done and continue to do.”
We circle back to HBCUs and their impact.
“I want kids to be excited to explore and experience what it may be like to be educated by people who look like you. To be in classrooms with people who predominantly look like you.”
The soft and the strong remain cleaved together as she makes a final statement: “I want kids to know that there’s not one type of way to celebrate being Black, to be a Black person. I just want Black people to remember we’re on a steady climb. But we’re here, you know?”
All American: Homecoming is shown Mondays at 9pm on The CW and The CW’s streaming service.
“We’ve always been here.”
There aren’t many vocalists whose voices embody a movement; their deeply rich tone can uplift and inspire. Mahalia Jackson had that effect on those who heard her sing. Now, Ericka Nicole Malone Entertainment is giving us the opportunity to learn more about her in Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story. Written and executive produced by Ericka Nicole Malone and directed by Denise Dowe, the film takes “a poignant look into the life and rise” of an iconic gospel singer.
Grammy Award winner Ledisi stars as Mahalia Jackson. She is accompanied by Columbus Short, Janet Hubert, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Vanessa A. Williams, Keith David, Corbin Bleu, and Keith Robinson. This ensemble cast pieces together Jackson’s early childhood trauma with her devout belief that her gift was God’s and God’s alone. The film chronicles how through many adversities, Jackson never gave in to the pressures of a husband or a manager to sing any other music besides gospel.
BGN had a telephone conversation with Ledisi about playing Mahalia Jackson, the parallels between herself and the gospel singer, and whether she’d like to do more acting.
How did you get the role of Mahalia Jackson? What interested you in portraying her?
I was actually on set at Pose working in New York. I got an email asking me if I would read for this part of Mahalia from Erica Malone. I sent it to management and wasn’t really interested because I had already played Mahalia in Selma. Doing a feature … I wasn’t really sure.
My management convinced me to just go ahead and audition at least. When I did, they really wanted me for the part. I got an email from the casting director and Erica, then I was on the phone with Denise Dallas, a wonderful actress who’s now directing; I didn’t know she was connected to the film.
Talking to them reassured me that I should try. I was very nervous. On the second day, I didn’t know if I could do it because it was overwhelming, but I had a wonderful experience. I’m glad I did it. It worked out, but I didn’t look for this part. It found me.
Besides music, are there any parallels between the two of you that drew you in?
When I did Selma, I studied a lot about Mahalia, even just to sing that little part I sang. With this, I dove in deeper. It started with the music, but you have to understand the reason why she’s singing and her anointing.
It was really studying more of the Bible and particular songs and what she wanted people to be ignited from. Her purpose was to ignite, uplift, and spread the word of the gospel of the Lord. So all of that mattered. I couldn’t ignore that part. That part meant more than anything, and then when you look at her life, she never let anything get in the way of that.
It wasn’t just the words and not performing here or performing there. She had a purpose. Understanding her purpose helped me get into the part. It also taught me that’s why I do what I do. What’s my purpose? It’s always to leave a legacy that’s rich, but for her, it was to tell people about God and remind them you can win and persevere with knowing Jesus.
Was there anything that you learned about Mahalia during developing this role that surprised you or gave you a new understanding of who she was?
She was a strong businesswoman. In that era, she was about her business. She knew when she was being cheated, and she would say it. She was not hiding. She was very vocal about everything. She was a superstar.
She was huge in her presence, not just globally but also as a human. That’s why she could stand next to Martin, give advice, and be a sister-brother relationship in that whole movement. She was the great Mahalia Jackson, so that’s her power. She knew her power, and I love that part. I did understand it fully, then I got it. I love that a woman who wrote this, Erica Malone, and a woman director were very clear about making sure that other women saw this woman in that way. We didn’t focus just on her relationships. We focused on her business etiquette as well. It took women to make sure that was seen. I love that.
What was the most challenging part of filming this movie?
Filming during COVID and it turning from a short to a feature. All of that was challenging because it started one way and ended up being bigger. The forces against it were bigger, but it prevailed. We still finished our work, but it was a lot. It was a lot going on. I’m very proud of the cast and crew and Erica for believing in it in a bigger way.
You mentioned you weren’t sure about playing Mahalia. After completing your first feature, are you interested in doing more acting?
Oh, absolutely! I would love to. What I was uncomfortable with was the weight of it. I started to understand the weight. It had nothing to do with being a feature. It was the weight of a character. Who wants to play Mahalia? Yeah, go ahead. No joke. I’m R&B. Gospel is different, so you really have to understand what you are doing.
Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story premiered Tuesday, April 19, 2022, at the 30th Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival in Los Angeles, California. Tickets for the festival viewing are available here and make sure you keep your ear to the ground to find out when this film will come to a screen near you.
Writer: Jeff Lemire / Artist: Dustin Nguyen / Image
Jeff Lemire is out here just forcing me to confront the fact that I actually love horror. I love the visceral viscera. I love the tension of humanity and monstrosity. I love how the genre is grounded in a more defined atmosphere, a very specific space with a very specific confrontation. Little Monsters #2 is perhaps the perfect embodiment of this exact atmospheric, adrenaline inducing world, and it’s incredible how much more invested I got into the survival of the last kids on earth (who happen to be vampires).
Little Monsters #2 opens with a flashback all the way back to 1763, where we actually get to witness the start of the vampire pack in the eerily named Black Forest. Given the snowy setting, the chopping of wood, and the eventual conclusion of events, I get a little bit of Nezuko from Demon Slayer vibes, and I mean that in the best way possible. The innocent being corrupted by the malevolent is a fascinating trope to view, and Lemire’s exposition gives it a decidedly unique tone and almost treats the curse as a type of kindness.
After that interlude, we return back to the present, where we get some vignettes with Romie and Billy before their actions incite the group to come together as a whole, and then the story just accelerates in an entirely different vector. The last page reveal changes the trajectory of the story dramatic, and Lemire pulls off the pivot perfectly.
Nguyen’s artwork is absolutely phenomenal. The black and white pages with very intentional use of color makes each a spectacle. It’s utterly enthralling how the various volumes of red change the intensity and tone of the moment, and the use of kinder blues, greens, and orange help indicate that these are still children at heart, even if their teeth indicate that they are capable of more violent actions. The somber moments of sadness and the scary moments of sadism stand out in different measures and makes for a thrilling second chapter.
Little Monsters #2 has officially sunk its teeth into me. It’s a brilliantly constructed, expertly illustrated comic that any horror fan deserves to be current on.
9.4 “Axes” out of 10
Enjoying Little Monsters? Check out BNP’s other reviews here.
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