LIT Friday 2025 is back with one of our favorite REPLAYs!
On February 28 at 6pm, on the August Wilson African American Cultural Center YouTube and Facebook, AWAACC Literary Curator Jessica Lanay will celebrate the anniversary of her conversation with Emmy Award-winning director, Emmai Alaquiva, about the documentary The Ebony Canal. When this episode first aired, Alaquiva was preparing to expand the documentary to a feature length format.
Today, the latest version of the documentary is narrated by Academy Award winner Viola Davis. The Ebony Canal is a poignant documentary that delves into the disparities of infant mortality and maternal health among Black and Brown women, weaving together powerful stories of healing, and hope to inspire solution-driven practices that transform the future of maternal care. We are REPLAYING this episode because now more than ever it is important to continue highlighting the limitations and possibilities within the medical system of the United States, especially for Black and brown women.
The Ebony Canal recently made its film festival debut at the Sundance Film Festival and the Pan African Film Festival, where it was nominated for Best Short Documentary. The film will be featured at the Selma Film Festival next week, Joburg Film Festival (Johannesburg), The Black Star Film Festival Philadelphia, Tribeca Film Festival New York, African American Film Festival, Martha’s Vineyard – to list a few.
Generous support for The Ebony Canal was provided by the Richard King Mellon Foundation.
Instagram: @theebonycanal
Website: theebonycanal.com
Emmai Alaquiva, once homeless, is now a four-time Emmy Award-winning film director for companies such as Roc Nation, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, FENTY, CBS, The ROOTS and more. Most recently, The Ebony Canal is a documentary film narrated by Academy Award-winning icon, Viola Davis. This masterful cinematic poem directed by Emmai Alaquiva examines the HERstoric portal between the disparities of infant mortality and the current state of maternal health orbiting Black and Brown women. His work has been seen nationally on Good Morning America, VIBE, Forbes and The New York Times.