Bree Newsome made headlines over the weekend after she scaled a flagpole in front of South Carolina’s Statehouse and removed the confederate flag.
While Newsome was arrested, and the flag was returned, the significance of her actions can’t be denied and her act definitely resonated with many. Newsome has received an outpouring of support from social media, resulting in major contributions to a fund to cover her legal fees. Filmmaker Ava DuVernay also celebrated Newsome, as well as filmmaker Michael Moore who will be helping to contribute to her legal costs. Chirlane McCray, the First Lady of New York City, also voiced her support for Newsome via Twitter.
In addition to being an inspiring activist, Bree Newsome is also a wildly talented filmmaker. Her 2012 film WAKE won the Outstanding Independent Short Film award in the 2012 Black Reel Awards as well as the Best Short Film at BET Urban World Film Festival.
Here’s a brief synopsis of WAKE, watch it, in its entirety below.
“A repressed woman murders her domineering father, freeing herself to pursue her heart’s desire. Using a local folk magic called “root work”, she conjures a demon to aid her in creating the man of her dreams– but soon finds herself in a waking nightmare. “