by Leslie Fields-Cruz The film festival circuit is still recovering from its Covid-19-induced hiatus. While the virus remains a menace, it’s no longer viewed as a death sentence, which has emboldened more of us to venture out and mingle with strangers. And mingling is what makes film festivals fun. Several…

By Leslie Fields-Cruz The sermon Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. offered to the congregants of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church on Nov. 17, 1957, in Montgomery, Ala., included a statement that resonates with me today: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther…

by Leslie Fields-Cruz When we launched the 360 Incubator+ program in 2015, we knew the breadth of the Black experience had yet to be adequately represented on public media and aimed to change that. …

By Leslie Fields-Cruz Greetings BPM Family! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and that you’re looking forward to the possibilities this brand new year has to offer. …

by Leslie Fields-Cruz I hope you are geared up to enjoy some downtime during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. I know that’s not the way it works for everyone, but we here at Black Public Media will be closed from 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 23 until…

by Leslie Fields-Cruz It is true that the older you get, the faster time seems to fly. Perhaps it is because as the years pile on, we grow more adept at squeezing activities into our busy calendars. …

By Leslie Fields-Cruz The year 2023 will be upon us in just 26 days. Where the hell did 2022 go? Oh, I know, we were oh so busy the time just whizzed by. But that’s a good thing, right? What’s the saying, “Good work makes the day go faster?” Or…

by Leslie-Fields Cruz When contemplating what to write for today’s Dispatch, I considered talking about the Independent Film and Media Briefing just released by the National Endowment for the Arts and available for download HERE. You should read it, and then share it with your local policymaker and funder(s). …

by Leslie Fields-Cruz When Transgender Day of Remembrance began in 1999, to memorialize the murder of Rita Hester in Alltson, Mass., it drew attention to a disturbing pattern that, sadly, has continued for more than two decades. Since January of 2022, at least 32 transgender and gender nonconforming people have…