Reel Affirmations: The Nation's LGBT Film Festival 2008

FREE AT FIVE - PRESENTED BY SMYAL

Sakia Gunn was a young and charismatic aggressive whose brutal murder led to public outcry over the lenient sentences imposed on her killers. In this earth-shattering documentary, the many issues surrounding her death are examined: A bright young star at Newark, NJ's West Side High, Sakia and a group of friends were accosted by two men after an evening in Greenwich Village. Rebuffing the two men's sexual advances, Sakia was stabbed and died in her best friend's arms.

At her killers' sentencing, an unbelievably light sentence was given, prompting cries of outrage in the community. Depicting the homophobia that allowed such a crime to happen, and the lack of media coverage the murder of a young Black lesbian, Dreams Deferred is a sobering look at justice in the 21st century.

Despite the tragic tone of the film, an inspiring sense of hope imbues this story of marginalized youth finally confronting a justice system that seems heavily stacked against them.

The young filmmaker Chas Brack, hoping to foster a sense of empowerment in young Black LGBT youth, has created a film that serves as both cautionary tale and a primer on justice for the African American community.

After the screening, please join us for a youth-led panel discussion featuring members of SMYAL, local GSAs and youth activists.