A BLACK'S HISTORY

In 2008, Kevin Dua wrote, "A Strange Tree" for a creative writing course at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. Inspired then by artist Nina Simone’s musical rendition of teacher Abel Meeropol’s “Strange Fruit” poem—Dua drafted an untitled poetic narrative. This nine-year project originally centered on the hybrid of short stories and poetry that chronicle the racial experiences of fictional characters living in the United States, over a span of decades.

However, the real climate and divisive commentaries on African-Americans’ lives within the last few years have appropriately shifted this project to a personal, nonfiction retrospect on the 29-year-old life of an African-American male history teacher, out of Somerville, MA.

In honor of Black History Month, the documentary, A BLACK’S HISTORY, will be shared daily throughout February, focusing on reflective racial explorations tied to love, fear, education, Black Lives Matter, slavery, Africa, childhood, President Obama, and the future. It is a self-directed, nonprofit piece that uses an assorted soundtrack, a black screen, white text, and no visuals to underscore a simplified message of one black person’s history in America.