Words by Shanice Stephanie
“You can say America is great as long as you’re white. Because for you, yes: You are correct. America is wonderful to you. But my Black ass, because I am a Black woman, born of a Black woman, born of a Black woman, who was born a slave – I don’t know at which point in history America really had my back. I don’t want to argue with anyone, or with ‘Make America Great Again.’ I just want you to show me the facts. Because I’ve always been afraid of the police. I’ve never had the chance to see police as helpers. It’s not my fault. It’s where I was raised. I’m from Bed Stuy, Brooklyn. I’ve always felt like an oil stain that they needed to clean up and not a citizen that they felt obligated to protect.” –Gabby Sidibe
Congratulations are due to actress, author and now director Gabby Sidibe for the release of her 20 minute short-film, Tale Of Four. Gabby teamed up with Refinery29’s Shatterbox Anthology to produce Tale Of Four; bringing awareness and action for the Black Lives Matter generation.
The film was inspired by Nina Simone’s haunting 1966 song “Four Women”, and it courageously captures the horrific realities of the mothers, daughters, and those fighting back against police brutality and the growing population of those incarcerated. In Tale of Four, you will hear the narratives from female activists, sexual assault survivors, victims of racial injustice, and children of imprisoned moms. Gabby was able to connect the past to the present to show that not much has changed. The American society is still infected by racism, prejudice perpetrated against black bodies, sexual assault and harassment against women.
In an interview with Refinery29 earlier this year Sidibe said: “As I do with most things I’m afraid of, I talk about them, make them audible, hoping that addressing the fear will alleviate it.”
She continued to say: “That’s what the film is about; addressing it, saying it out loud, and hoping that through sharing my fear and my outrage that it will cause more outrage and more fear.”
The film was released early summer 2017 at the Nantucket Film Festival, making it Sidibe’s Directorial debut as well. However just two days ago on October 24th ‘Tale of Four’ made its debut on refinery29.com, so fans everywhere will now be able to stream the 20 minute film.
