Editor's Letter

 Patrice Worthy, publisher of Pworthy Archives      

 I didn’t know what to expect the evening I attended the preview screening of Moonlight, the 2017 Oscar winner for Best Picture, but it was an experience I’ll never forget. I’ve only seen Moonlight twice, but can still recall each scene as if I just watched it yesterday. The story and the way Barry Jenkins, director of the film, shot the scenes in hues of blue and purple to reflect the depth of emotion is powerful. It was the first time, as a Black Jewish woman, I began to connect the narratives of Black gay and trans people with my own story. Until I saw Moonlight, I didn’t know that there were others who also suffered the discrimination, isolation and racism that came with being a minority within a minority, or an “other.”  

I became invested in the journey of Chiron who we see grow up from a bullied young boy to a hyper Masculine Black man that is isolated and lonely. Focused on surviving in a world where the cards are stacked against him, you’re proud to see that he survived his abusive childhood with his mind and body intact. The flashbacks and series of traumatic events in Chiron’s life purposely distract viewers from the heavy loneliness in his present-day reality. It’s not until he reconnects with his childhood friend that the weight of his solitude is uncovered. At the scene of their reconciliation, the audience let’s out a sigh of relief – finally Chiron has a friend. Though his air of stoicism is convincing, you find yourself in relationship with the vulnerability Chiron hides from the outside world. As the story progresses into the final scenes all you want for the handsome young, gay man is for him to just have somebody.  

Moonlight swept the 2017 Oscars and received two standing ovations at the Telluride Film Festival, because it transcends race with its themes of community, loneliness, survival, and connection.  As I planned the Pworthy Archives content for the week, I noticed the theme of gentrification and community bubbling up. In the pieces Black art, neighborhoods are the new cool at Art Basel Miami and Hebru Brantley spray paints a homage to the past at The Sound Table, art is employed to stave off gentrification. At the least art is used to provide a sense of community to transforming neighborhoods that have been safe havens for Black Americans and Black immigrants for decades. 

In Moonlight, Jenkins used his art to demonstrate what happens when there is no community to provide refuge for our most vulnerable members. That’s the power of art, it brings us together giving us a channel to express what lies beneath the surface, ultimately stripping projections to reveal our humanity hidden under scars and stereotypes. If you haven’t seen Moonlight, I suggest you watch it. If you’ve already seen it, I suggest you watch it again. The film’s message of kindness and empathy is more important now than ever, reminding us of one simple truth - we need each other.  

 

Sincerely,  

Patrice Worthy  

Publisher, Pworthy Archives  

January 30, 2025