Why start something like the Un/Learning Club? The short answer is that I love stories, and I love school. The longer answer?

As a white film student who chose her college for their motto, "challenge convention, change our world," and who recently finished a master's program from a university that touts itself at orientation as "the best film school in the universe," I feel that my peers and I were failed by these institutions and others for excluding the work of the Cheryl Dunyes, Charles Burnetts, and Marlon Riggs' of film history alongside intense and repetitive study of the Altmans, Hitchcocks, and Godards. I'm aware of how much I have to learn still, and of how painful it is to realize all that we have been missing. With the Un/Learning Club, I hope to create a space for people both in and beyond fields of media to expose ourselves to stories which have been largely excluded from our imaginations, to critically examine the psychological and ideological effects of the media we consume, and to practice mindful engagement with the material at hand and the unlearning process itself. 

​I'm highly conscious of my position as a white woman co-conspirator committed to this work. There are many topics that come up in these movie discussions which I cannot personally speak to; all I can do is acknowledge what I don't know, share my background in critical media studies to the best of my ability, and commit to coming to each discussion with vulnerable honesty and a passion for learning well. This means making mistakes. I know I won't be a perfect teacher, but I am committed to being a good student. For me, the Un/Learning Club is a space where I can learn how to initiate conversations about ignorance, education, challenging assumptions, and questioning media messaging. It's a space where I can try to show others what unlearning looks like to me, and where we can share the experience of trying together. ​

​You can read my "about" page to check in on the ways I'm holding myself accountable for my whiteness as I continue developing a new curriculum of cinema and media studies staples in hopes of helping to create a liberated future for all. I welcome all feedback and criticism through the contact form below. 
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join the un/learning club

Film critics, movie buffs, culture vultures, artists – if the movies mean the world to you, I welcome you to take the (anonymous) survey to the right! This is purely for my own research and interest in who is coming to my website, and to remind us of the reasons why Black media reparations are necessary. ​Sign up for our mailing list or leave a comment below. If you feel so inclined, I'd love for you to fill out my brief survey below. 

            ☆   thank you   ☆ 

☆        ☆  ☆ a brief survey for those beginning their un/learning journey through media      ☆      ☆  ☆