Jean Young began a professional film career on major motion pictures and commercials in 1982 and became the first African American woman in the Midwest to work as a union assistant camera operator. She’s currently working with Studio 11 Films for a comedy short called Nice Guy. A member of the organization’s 11Eleven11 Project’s freshman class as a director, Young is a published scholar and is the recipient of numerous academic awards and fellowships, including a first-place designation in the S. Randolph Edmunds Graduate competition sponsored by the Black Theatre Network (BTN).
Here, the Illinois native shares some titles from her extensive reading list and films she considers classics. –yvette caslin
What drew you to this project?
It’s funny because we were initially told that this script was already assigned to a director, so I did not pitch it. But actually, it was on my radar from the very first reading because I am a big fan of comedy and I had heavily notated the script. Nice Guy has some very funny dialogue and the script was very well written – simple, uncomplicated and very open and very loose. There was this opportunity for actors to just be in the moment and to extemporize or improvise some of the scenes and there were these great opportunities for over-the-top physical comedy.
I love comedy, have studied the history of it and I recently taught a course called “Black Humor” at Cornell University and had the pleasure of introducing the social satire and comedy of writers and performers such the iconic blackface performer, Bert Williams and the writings of social satirist Ishmael Reed to my students. Throughout the whole course, we laughed a lot and gained many insights on the importance of popular culture in America. I try never to miss an episode of the absurdist and animated sitcom, “Family Guy.” Catching reruns of “Martin” with its great ensemble work is always real treat. Around my closest friends and family, I am the trickster and the “jokester” and overall, I still believe that laughter is the best medicine.
Where you were born and where you were raised:
I was born and raised in Evanston, Ill. The city is located just north of Chicago on the beautiful shore of Lake Michigan and it is the home of Northwest University — so in many ways, it is a college town. I attended Evanston Township High School and at that time we had the distinction of having the number one academic ranking for all the high schools in the nation. We also had a tradition of excellence in athletics and art. So, I got a great education and not only that, I was surrounded by my very large family and extended family. My dad, my daughter and I attended the same schools. Aside from getting a great education, Evanston was a great place to grow up. It was a very safe place and politically, lots of people there were social activists and there was this strong artistic community. I still see many of the friends that I grew up with.
Zodiac Sign:
I was born on Nov. 11 and my astrological sign is Scorpio.
What do you hope viewers walk away with after seeing this project?
I hope that viewers will come away from this film laughing and smiling and feeling good about themselves. In some ways, I’d like for them to see themselves and to feel especially good about being who they really are. There’s no shame in being a nerd. We need all types of warriors in our move forward.
Who are your personals idols in the industry?
I’m not sure if I idolize anyone, but I do really like and admire the groundbreaking work of Charles Burnett, Julie Dash and the late Osumane Sembene, just to name a few of many.
Performer you would drop everything to go see:
Wow, too many to mention. I’ve never seen Michael [Jackson] or Tupac [Shakur] perform. So, if I had a time machine, I’d go back to see them perform and to hang out with them. There are many others such as Billie Holiday and John Coltrane and I’d definitely love to see Miles [Davis] and Bob Marley perform again. I’ve never seen Lil’ Wayne or Macy Gray perform I’d love to see them — all of the above with my cameras and a very long, fast lenses. I love the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix. I’d also take my time machine back to see the early Beatles perform — backstage pass — of course! — and I’d pay special attention to John and George. Now, I’d have to meet Robert Johnson and ask him about Crossroads, you know.
Pop culture guilty pleasure:
Well, my involvement with popular culture dates back to my early years — mainly through music when I was learning how to play blues guitar from my uncle and loved John Lennon [of] the Beatles. So, I don’t consider pop culture a “guilty pleasure,” it’s the peoples culture and more like a life-long quest. I was the guest DJ at dance club in the Virgin Islands in the late 70s when another DJ from the Bronx came in and showed me how to mix, pop and scratch. Wow! That was right before hip-hop blew up and went commercial. Later, I got into film and was treated to a pre-screening what was hailed as one of the first modern music videos — the Jacksons’ “Can You Feel It” — by a friend at CBS. And, of course, I’ve taught courses in American popular culture since the early 90s at places like Cornell University, Columbia College in Chicago, Ithaca College and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I’ve also researched, written, presented nationally and internationally and published articles in academic journals on popular culture. So for me, it’s really a lifelong endeavor. But what I don’t like is the overt commercialization of it and what can be considered its more exploitative aspects that come from this process of commercialization.
What’s on your music playlist?
Lately, anything by Miles, anything by Tupac, Bob Marley. Early R Kelly. There’s more. Too much to mention and it can change, daily.
MAC or PC?
MAC, most definitely. Never really used a PC.
Worst job you ever had:
I’ve been fortunate to hold some very interesting positions: photojournalist, university professor and filmmaker. Teaching is very empowering, but the worst thing is the politics. At my last position, while teaching at an inner city high school in Chicago, a handful of us started making a real impact on the school culture, which for the most part was pretty violent and very negative. Then, the budget cuts came and the decision of who would go and who would stay was a matter of politics and not about effectiveness, dedication, etc. So, that was the worst thing for me, because Chicago can be such a hard city, especially for our youth. What we were able to begin to do, in part, was to begin to capture their hearts, minds and spirits through the arts. And sadly, that was the first thing cut. So this is a sad commentary on our educational system.
Three things you can’t live without:
The presence of the Creator in all aspects of my life, the love and inspiration of my daughter Erica Whitney and my family — those that are here and those that have transitioned — art and music.
Most-visited websites:
I’m all over the place with this. But lately, Gizmag and Amazon.
Last book you read:
I am always reading and re-reading different parts of different books. Lately, I’ve re read the canonical work of Ntozake Shange, her choreopoem — For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf’ for sustenance and inspiration and am I re reading chapters of Orisa: Yoruba Gods and Spiritual Identity in Africa and the Diaspora — edited by the distinguished professor out of University of Texas at Austin, Toyin Falola and Ann Genova for a spiritual and aesthetic guide, cultural centering and connectedness; Sharon Bridgforth’s amazing Love Conjure Blues for its language, truths, humor, imagery and energy.
Last good movie you saw:
I recently Michael Rapport’s Beats, Rhymes, and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest in Chicago with my brother last year. It follows this iconic and influential band and attempts to understand their sudden break up in 1998. It is exciting and informative with a great visual aesthetic … just the type of doc I’d like to produce.
Some films you consider classics:
Two films directed by the late Senegalese filmmaker, Osumane Sembene: La Noir De…(Black Girl) and Faat Kiné. From the UCLA Film School and the Black Independent Movement directors and screenwriters, Julie Dash’s Daughter’s of the Dust and Charles Burnett’s Killer of Sheep and to Sleep with Anger; from Latin America, the epic La hora de los hornos (The Hour of the Funrances) by Octavio Getina and Fernando Solanas; the award-winning Malian film, Yeleen (Brightness) directed by Souleymane Cisse’ is a wonderful tale of magic and the supernatural and the cinematography is gorgeous.
Favorite screen or commercial opportunities:
Working in the film industry. Taking photos. Working as a photo journalist.
Previous work?
Right now, I am I currently trying to raise funds and find a university sponsor for my documentary titled Amelia Dawley’s Daughters, which features in-depth look at the Moran Family of McIntosh County as they, along with members of their community, struggle to reclaim 2,687 acres of an amazing spread of meadow, woodland and marshland — about 90 minutes south of Savannah — called Harris Neck. Since Emancipation and until 1942, 75 self-reliant African American families who were former slaves, lived and prospered on this land as fisherman and farmers. Their descendants now struggle to regain their land, a story that was featured on the late Mike Wallace’s CBS “60 Minutes” segment in 1983 when the community, many of whom were returning Vietnam veterans, occupied the land in an effort to reclaim it. Amazingly, 90-year-old Harris Neck elder Mary Moran can recall and remember a five-line song handed down from her mother, Amelia Shaw Dawley. Remarkably, Mary’s “little five-line song” has been traced back to another female elder living over 3,000 miles away in a remote village in Sierra Leone. And, that is another story which was pioneered by the work of 1930s anthropologist Lorenzo Dow Turner and many other amazing scholars, filmmakers and researchers since then. So, I think this is a very important story, especially for African Americans because we are always told that we have no significant past. The documentary film works not only illuminate our past, but also to help the Harris Neck families regain their lost land. It is my hope that this injustice will be righted in Mary’s lifetime — that she and her family will be able to live once again on the land where her mother, Amelia, is buried.
