BY ANNABELLE SHEA ’23
“Harriet,” which follows the life of Harriet Tubman and was produced by Mount Holyoke alumna Debra Martin-Chase ’77, was screened in Chapin Auditorium on Nov. 20.
The event opened with an introduction of Martin-Chase by student leaders from the Association of Pan African Unity (APAU) and Project Theatre.
Martin-Chase is a renowned television producer responsible for the creation of films such as “The Princess Diaries,” “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and “The Cheetah Girls.”
When asked about the film, audience member Emma Chen ’22 said “I think the film is really amazing. I just want to thank [Martin-Chase] for screening it here.”
“I felt [Harriet] was so real and powerful and I really appreciated it,” Chen added.
Following the screening, Assistant Professor of Religion Dr. Meredith Coleman-Tobias joined Martin-Chase onstage for a discussion. The producer explained her choice on making “Harriet” an uplifting film rather than a gritty narrative.
“We didn’t need another movie about slavery, we needed a movie about freedom and empowerment,” Martin-Chase said.
Audience members picked up on the film’s empowering themes.
“I thought it was amazing and I thought it was so beautifully done,” Maryam Ware ’22 said. “It was so different from any other movie about my history that I’ve ever seen before ... I appreciated everything that was in the movie.”
During the discussion, Martin-Chase explained some of the challenges she faced while creating “Harriet” in regards to the film industry.
“Hollywood wasn’t making movies about black women — especially about black women in history,” Martin-Chase said.
When asked about her filmmaking process and characterization of Harriet Tubman, Martin-Chase added, “This woman — she was a superhero. We approached this [film] like a superhero origin story.”
In a later portion of the event, audience members had the opportunity to ask Martin-Chase questions about the film and its creation.
One audience member voiced concerns over the film’s historical inaccuracies and its inclusion of a black slave hunter. The student suggested that the inclusion of such a trope — as black slave hunters in U.S. history were relatively rare — contributes to the perception that relations between black men and women are fragmented.
Martin-Chase defended her choice to include such a character.
“We hurt ourselves when we only depict ourselves in a certain way,” she said. “I think it’s important that we understand that bad people come in all colors. To ignore that is to be naïve.”
When later asked what advice she has to offer Mount Holyoke students and graduates Martin-Chase said, “You are smart, you are special. There’s a tendency for the world to put us in boxes . . . but at the end of the day, figure out what you really want to do and go for it.”