Off The Cuff: Beth Anish & Imani Blake

March 6, 2023

Our CCRI faculty and staff are a diverse group with many fascinating hobbies and interests that keep them busy during their free time off campus. Welcome to "Off The Cuff," where we profile a member of our CCRI family to find out what makes them tick. Hopefully, their stories inspire others and help us develop new connections and friendships with our CCRI colleagues.

On Thursday, the DEI Council hosts its first event of the year, a screening of the Smithsonian film Warrior Women, a documentary about a forgotten female army that inspired Marvel’s Black Panther’s Wakandan female warriors, the Dora Milaje.

In Warrior Women, Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o travels to West Africa to learn about the female warriors known as the Agoji, whose rich culture and complex history is often misunderstood by outsiders. This film is presented in partnership with the Rhode Island Historical Society. 

To learn more about the significance of this film during Women's History Month, we spoke with Interim Director of Guided Pathways Beth Anish (pictured above right), Providence Campus Coordinator Imani Blake, and members of the DEI Council to get an idea of what to expect at Thursday's special screening. 

All faculty, staff, and students are welcome to RSVP and attend Thursday's Warrior Women screening. Light refreshments will be provided thanks to the Sullivan Fund for the Arts and Humanities.  

What were the initial steps in bringing this exclusive film screening to CCRI?

The DEI Council was focusing on ways to engage the community during Black and Women’s History Months. We have had a relationship with the Rhode Island Historical Society in the past. Council member and History Professor Suzanne McCormack recommended building a relationship with the Rhode Island Historical Society to partner on opportunities to share historical content about multicultural narratives. The RIHS has a relationship with the Smithsonian Institute and we were excited to partner on them in screening the film Warrior Women.

What is the significance of this film as it relates to Women’s History Month in March?

The film is about the female warriors known as the Agoji, whose rich culture and complex history is often misunderstood by outsiders. It stars Academy Award-winner Lupita Nyong'o, who travels to West Africa to learn about the historical impact this tribe had on traditional gender roles.

From a diversity, equity, and inclusion standpoint, does Warrior Women echo some of the same principles as our DEI Council at CCRI?

Warrior Women empowers those who have been excluded in history and provides education about the powerful women of the Agoji. The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council is committed to creating a culture of belonging and inclusivity for all members of the CCRI Community. The connection to Warrior Women is about empowering underrepresented voices to be amplified to help promote inclusive excellence. 

What do you hope students, faculty, and staff take away from this film after they attend the screening?

We hope that faculty, staff and students walk away with wider perspectives of cultural norms that look different based on geographical and societal experiences. This offers an opportunity for us to have discussions about multicultural differences and celebrating the impact these differences have on humanity.

What other programming can we expect during the remainder of Women’s History Month and are there plans to present more film screenings similar to this one?

We will continue this partnership with the Rhode Island Historical Society to further build on our Inclusive Excellence framework and offer in person activities to deepen our learnings as a community. We will continue to share information as activity is built out, however, right now everybody can look forward to the Equity Summit coming in May! 

We would love to hear your story, too! Email us at [email protected] if you’d like to be featured in a future edition of “Off The Cuff” or want to nominate a coworker.

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