TRAILER : For Mothers who won't let Fathers see their Children

Nware Rahsaan Burge – PhD.(c) - M.S.Ed./BA
Professor/ High School History Teacher/ Documentary Filmmaker

Nware Rahsaan Burge is currently a PhD candidate, an Adjunct Professor at Kean University in Union, New Jersey, Essex County College, in Newark, New Jersey, and Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, New York. Nware is also a History and Special Education High School teacher and an Award-Winning Independent Documentary filmmaker. Nware holds a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts/Political Science from Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, New York, a Master’s degree in Education from Brooklyn College, in Brooklyn, New York and is a PhD candidate in Humanities and Culture at Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Nware has taught and worked in urban public schools for more than 17 years and as a University Professor for 4 years.

Nware was born in Hackensack, New Jersey and raised in Newark, New Jersey. He has recently lived in Brooklyn, New York for 15 years, as well as Philadelphia for 3 years and currently resides in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey.

As a first-time filmmaker and director, Nware has created his first feature documentary film, which is in its final editing stage, entitled: DNA-Using Genealogy to Change My SLAVE Last Name. The premise of the film poses the complex and sensitive question, “Should Black people change their White last name?” The film features Dr. Gina Paige of AfricanAncestry.Com as well as New York State Senator Kevin Parker, Historian and Scholar Dr. Leonard Jeffries and other scholars who give their insight on the topic. This complex and sensitive subject matter that his documentary film is based, has qualified Nware’s film to win the Yaa Asante Waa award for Best Documentary at the Black Star International Film Festival in Accra, Ghana. Since winning the award Nware has been interviewed by BBC-radio in London, England, WBAI-New York, WBGO-Newark, and WURD-Philadelphia. His film DNA was nominated for Best Documentary at the Newark International Film Festival in Newark, New Jersey and the 2020 San Diego Black Film Festival in San-Diego, California. His film DNA was also screened and selected for a DIKALO Award at the Festival International Du Film Pan-African in Cannes, France, the 2020 African World Documentary Film Festival, and the 2020 Dividing Lines: African American and Native American Symposium. Nware has also lectured and screened his film at several conferences in the United Sates and around the world. The National Council for Black Studies: Black Studies at 50: Sankofa Remembrance, Continuous Renewal and Transformative Practice, The American Name Society: Promoting the Study of Onomastics, The University of Helsinki in Helsinki, Finland: Personal Names and Reconstructions Conference, and the prestigious institution of Oxford University in England: 9th Academic International Conference on Multi-Disciplinary Studies and Education (FLE Learning).

Nware Burge’s film, DNA-Using Genealogy to Change My Slave Last Name, proposes the idea that people of African descent in the Americas, specifically African Americans and Caribbean’s alike, should contemplate the idea of using DNA genealogy results to change their European surname to the name of their genetic African ethnic origin. Nware plans to use his results from his DNA genealogy test to decide on a new surname, as well as applying for dual citizenship, which he urges other African Americans to consider as possibilities. Another aim of his documentary DNA, is to enlighten others and bring to the forefront that people of African descent in the Americas have carried and passed on the legacy of chattel slavery, imperialism, and colonization, as they continue to pass on their slave master’s European surname, from generation to generation without much grievance. The film reflects love, cultural pride, and the perplexity regarding his family surname of BURGE. Nware’s film DNA, also addresses the importance of people of African descent reclaiming their cultural and original mores, norms and spiritual systems from West Africa that were lost due to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.

Currently Nware is in post-production of his totally independent documentary film titled: For Mothers who won’t let Fathers see their Children (An All-Women’s Narrative), in which he attends to shed light and understanding concerning general issues of Black fathers being separated from their children through a legacy of systematic governmental politics as well as the volition of mothers through parental alienation. Nware is also in pre-production of his independent film titled: BLACK BEACHES in America – Our Maroon Societies. A film which will be centered around educating and sharing the great stories about some of the iconic Black Beaches in America that many people, never knew existed. Beaches is narrative which discuss the unknown history of Black owned Beach property in America with the goals of facilitating dialogue and conversation about eminent domain, reparations, gentrification, property ownership and property loss.

Overall, Nware understands the importance of history and culture as it applies to people of direct African descent and indigenous people across the world and hopes that all are inspired after viewing his films.