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Decolonize Black History Month

Daughters of the Dust

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Day 05: Daughters of the Dust Set in 1902, Daughters of the Dust is a film about the Peazant family on the eve of emigrating from their home in the Gullah Geechee corridor. The film is narrated by one of the character’s unborn children. This omnipotent child is a link between the ancestors and the family currently in transition. The matriarch, Nana Peazant, has no interest in leaving her home. Some of her daughters have already moved major cities and have returned to gather everyone else.

The varied relationships between the women in Daughters of the Dust is notable. Viola is navigating her new-found Christianity. Yellow Mary has been outcast by many members of the family and tries to help them all anyway. Eula longs for her deceased mother for guidance during her pregnancy and the problems in her marriage. Most of the film centers around their interactions with each other: their arguments, their support for one another, as well as playful and loving moments. It is a movie about connection. Not only between the characters making the decision to move, but also between their futures (as represented by the narrator) and their West African ancestors.

In addition to the beauty in the characters, the language and visuals in the film are also outstanding. The cinematography in Daughters of the Dust has been recognized by the Sundance Festival (1991 winner of Best Cinematography) and the Cascade Festival of African Films (2005 winner of Excellence in Cinematography). It was also nominated for Sundance’s Grand Jury prize. The Library of Congress has included Daughters of the Dust in the National Film Registry. The movie was written and directed by Julie Dash and was the first feature film by a Black American woman to enjoy a theatrical distribution. In 1997 Dash wrote a sequel titled Daughters of the Dust: An Novel (1997). With contributions by Toni Cade Bambara and bell hooks, Dash also published a companion book called Daughters of the Dust: The Making of an African-American Woman’s Film in 1992.