If you’ve listened to Solange’s new album and even listened to her single “F.U.B.U”, you’ll understand all of the emotions I felt sitting there at Reel Sisters Of The Diaspora Awards Ceremony at the Schomburg Center in Harlem this past weekend. It wasn’t just being spellbound by Cathy Hughes, one of the few women leading a television network or being humbled by Naturi Naughton’s speech honest reflection on  trailblazing her own path as a black woman in the industry, the “lovable Sinclair” Kim Coles who made us laugh or the great performances; It was the idea that black women could come together and celebrate each other’s accomplishments and  that could be enough. 

 “Integrity and bringing people along –that’s what Reel Sisters is about,” said Carolyn A. Butts, founder and film director of Reels Sisters Of the Diaspora.  Butts founded Reels Sisters in  1997, which  aimed to celebrate and empower women of color to tell their stories and the stories of their community. The star-studded Awards Ceremony on Friday, October 14, was just the kick-off event of the festival that has featured over 500 films from women of color for 19 years. 

When I was asked by a friend to cover the event, I had never heard of Reel Sisters. I made the mistake of thinking as a writer that this was just  something to get my feet wet writing again.  But there was a reality check waiting for me on the other side about how we could do that as black women.

 Even with powerful figures like Ava Duvernay or Issa Rae, Hollywood still has a representation issue. As Duvernay said during an interview with Reuters, she wasn’t the first to create something worth recognizing. She said, “That is where the bittersweet moment comes in. It is sweet for me in this moment and my mother is very happy, but certainly I know I stand on the shoulders of a lot of amazing women." 

Most  are ready to talk about why women directors aren’t represented, but few like to focus the  multi-layered challenges of being black and a  woman in the film industry. I thought that there was a cultural significance to actresses like Hattie McDaniel, Halle Berry and Taraji P. Henson attending these awards shows and actually winning. Yet, I was frustrated with how these awards shows only recognized these black women for playing certain roles. I didn’t see how choosing either argument could productively help more black people challenge the racial and gender-based barriers in entertainment. 

 But at Reel Sisters, challenging the divide seemed possible as black women make the decision to support each other. Cathy Hughes accepted the Hattie McDaniel Award and  broke down  the importance of why we all needed organizations like Reel Sisters Of The Diaspora.  Hughes said, “ It is not other culture’s responsibility to tell our story.” This is what inspired women like Hughes to create their own space where people of color could be represented in authentic and diverse ways. 

Real moments like when Naturi accepted the trailblazer award gave perspective on the importance of  that support of community. “I just want to keep it real and say let’s support each other,” she said stressing the importance of what we could do together.  She expressed not only gratitude but acknowledging her peers in the crowd as the people that were important in her career:“I appreciate being part of a community that says you’re talented, you’re special.”

Reel Sisters night of celebration acknowledged that black women could use mediums like film, music, or comedy to “empower us no matter where we are to embrace the world and who we are,” as Hughes said during her acceptance speech.

The Reel Sisters Of The Diaspora Awards Ceremony wasn’t just an avenue to celebrate black girl magic, but also what we knew before the hashtags. It was what Kim Coles described as the magic that she recognized in her mother, and in herself. Black women have been magical all along. Reel Sisters provided a space to reiterate how we could transform the media industry together by sharing our stories at our most authentic selves. 

For more on Reel Sisters of the Diaspora check out their site or follow them on Twitter @reelsisters.