T R U E C O L O R S

THE ORIGIN OF TRUE COLORS

This film is based on BABYGIRL: MEDIA-CODEPENDA-LOVA-HOLIC! My autobiographical solo play.

It’s been my dream to bring this story alive on the big screen, to share with a wider audience.

This story is much bigger than me, it’s a balm for all ages, especially the multitudes of under-represented preteens and adolescents who rarely see themselves beyond harmful stereotypes.

I never saw a reflection of myself growing up period, so I know what a difference it makes.

SUMMER a bi-racial preteen and her long-time bestie, FATIMA, take a popularity pledge that that revolves around them being invited to the popular New York girl’s lunch table. Everything goes according to plan until…RECORD SCRATCH! Summer is told she is not Black enough to make the cut! But will abandoning her “white” music, white friends, and white boy posters be enough? Or is her friendship with Fatima in serious jeopardy?

a word from the writer/director:

T

R

U

E

CO

L

O

R

S

TRUE COLORS takes place in Northern New Jersey in 1985 during the Golden Era of Hip Hop, which was centered in the New York tri-state area, well before MTV Raps. Rap Music was a big deal for my peers, and since New York was the birthplace and we lived across the Hudson, the culture of hip hop was a huge influence and part of our everyday lives - - - a positive aspect.

Far too often, mainstream media paints a negative image of rap music. True Colors celebrates the beauty of the culture that unites and uplifts others through the lens of a young girl raised by civil rights era parents: An “old” mom who had her at 40, and her much older dad, in his last years after a major stroke that forced his early retirement, which leaves him bitter.

This piece speaks directly to my Gen-X/"Hip Hop" Generation as well as their offspring. This untypical coming-of-age includes the history of my family before I was born, as well as the current events of the time, including Reaganomics, the crack epidemic, MTV, apartheid, police brutality, and women starting to work outside the house, like my mother. Other unique aspects of this story are a preteen with older parents, a childhood overshadowed by the inevitable death of a parent, and a celebration of a special bond with a much older sibling, my big brother, a self-taught musician and unsung hip hop pioneer who had his own record label.