The Responsibility to Author History with Erika Alexander

In this episode of Lagralane Spirits, Jason and Yvonne sit down with critically acclaimed actress and documentary filmmaker, Erika Alexander. The three discuss taking control of our storytelling destiny, being the narrators of our own history, and the meaning of true power and agency in the filmmaking industry and beyond. 

This week: 

• Enjoy a Boukman Daiquiri and share this recipe’s origins 
• Erika is the creator of Color Farm Media
• Erika talks about the difficulties of being a darker skinned woman in the acting industry. She was often only casted as a sex worker, a slave, and maid 
• Erika’s husband was a writer and he taught her the discipline that came with writing 
• Jason talks about how colorism, and being both too white and too dark, affected his chances at his auditions 
• Yvonne talks about how she felt that she had to choose whether to be Black or Filipina when auditioning 
• Erika reflects on the irony of Jason and Yvonne being rejected by casting directors for not being Black enough and her own story of being too Black for many casting directors 
• Jason asks “Who are the authors of history” and how we can restructure the narrative 
• Erika thinks that to be an artist is the hardest thing in the world, and it’s noble, and it takes more than a pound of flesh
• Erika got into documentary making to learn more about strong women because they are often depicted as Wicked Witches 
• Documentary making is what introduced her to John Lewis. This was the last year before he passed away. Erika and her team released Good Trouble in 2020. 
• Charlamane tha God and Kevin Hart have reached out to Erika to support her documentary work with their own resources  
• Yvonne talks about how she wants more representation for Filipinas and Asians as a whole 
• Jason talks about how you have to be assertive to take control of the narrative 
• Erika talks about how we cannot see each other as Other
• *Reference for quotes read in this episode: Teow, Jeremy. “Black Revolt in the White Mind: Violence, Race, and Slave Agency in the British Reception of the Haitian Revolution, 1791–1805.” Australasian Journal of American Studies, vol. 37, no. 1, 2018, pp. 87–102. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/26532955. Accessed 28 July 2021.

Cocktail: Daiquiri

Recipe

• 1 ½  oz Boukman rum
• ½ oz Pierre Ferrand cognac
• ¾ oz lime juice
• ½ oz cinnamon simple syrup*
• Shake and enjoy!

*Make your own simple syrup with equal parts water and sugar to boil, and add cinnamon sticks.

History & Meaning

The Boukman Daiquiri was created by Alex Day, a bartender from Philadelphia. The drink was named after Haitian priest, Dutty Boukman, who helped kickstart the Haitian Revolution. 

About Erika Alexander

Erika Alexander is beloved for her iconic acting roles as Maxine Shaw (Living Single), Detective Latoya (Get Out), Perenna (Black Lightning), Linda Diggs (Wutang: An American Saga) and Barb Ballard (Run The World). Erika wears many hats not only as an actress, but as a trailblazing activist, entrepreneur, creator, producer and director -- an all-around boss. And as co-founder of Color Farm Media, Erika represents one of the most bold, daring, and powerful voices in our country today.