Meharry Medical College, an HBCU dedicated to preparing doctors of color, and Black in Tech Nashville, a group dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion within the tech industry, partnered and brought 170 girls of color to see A Wrinkle in Time over the weekend. In addition to the movie, girls were also treated to an empowerment pep rally prior to the start of the movie.
The event was held on March 11 at the Regal Hollywood Stadium 27 RPX at One Hundred Oaks.
The Girl Empowerment Pep Rally in advance of the show featured DJ Afrodeshiak, poets of Writers’ BLOCK and more.
Black in Tech Nashville is no stranger to the importance of representation. The group has dedicated itself to cultivating networking, workforce development and funding opportunities so that people of color may be positioned to thrive in the technology industry. So when the premiere date for A Wrinkle in Time (the 2018 American science fantasy adventure film directed by Ava DuVernay based on the canonic 1962 novel of the same name by Madeleine L’Engle) was announced, the group’s founder, Dr. Fallon S. Wilson, doubled down on her commitment to representation.
“We are cultivating an experience for girls of color that we hope will inspire them to become more interested in science, technology, engineering and math,” Wilson said. “A Wrinkle in Time is a classic, and it just so happens to have women and a girl at the center as heroes. I am excited about this opportunity to inspire so many young people in our community.”
Both Wilson and Phyllis D. K. Hildreth, first lady of Meharry Medical College, share a passion for creating culturally rich experiences for students of color, and their parents, to see themselves as leaders and world changers.
“It is about representation and specifically about Black mothers and daughters seeing themselves as scientists and thinkers, making the stars the limits of what they can become” Hildreth said.
Black in Tech Nashville and Meharry Medical College collaborated with Creswell Middle School, Haynes Middle School, The Village Church, Ray of Hope Community Church, American Muslim Cultural Center, and First Baptist Church Capitol Hill Community Outreach to identify the 170 girls who attended the celebration on Sunday.
A Wrinkle in Time stars Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling. DuVernay is the first Black female director to pilot a $100 million film.
The film is produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Whitaker Entertainment.
