TRAILER

El Segundo For Black Lives and ESMoA invite you to join an intimate conversation with Black residents, professionals, students and visitors to El Segundo. Black in Mayberry was born from the protests held in El Segundo by El Segundo for Black Lives (ESBL) following the murder of George Floyd. The film's producer, Tanya Taylor, was the events and community education coordinator for ESBL. The director, Mark Knight, documented these protests through photography and video. As the two began to collaborate on the documentation of the protests in El Segundo, a dialogue opened up about what's not usually said between Black and white people. Starting with that conversation, Tanya and Mark approached ESMoA for an artistic partnership and a liberating space to give birth to Black in Mayberry, a 13-part short film series.

Through Black in Mayberry, Black people in El Segundo have set aside their inhibitions and made themselves vulnerable in order to share their truth. We hope that these short episodes (each 3-4 minutes) on topics rarely discussed publicly will create a safe and unfiltered opportunity to learn more about what it is to be Black in El Segundo and in America in 2020.

Award

Black in Mayberry received the audience award of "Best Documentary" from the Marina del Rey Film Festival.

Why Black in Mayberry?

El Segundo has long heralded itself as “Mayberry by the Sea.” Mayberry is in reference to the fictional southern town in the early 1960’s TV series The Andy Griffith Show, which was small, quiet, tight-knit and almost entirely white. While its sunny PR image as “Mayberry by the Sea” might evoke dreamy nostalgia and a strong sense of belonging among its predominantly white residents, the reality of life in El Segundo is more complicated for its Black residents, students and visitors.

Support us

This project was made with much love and passion and now we invite all to share in the completed works. If you would like to support this project with a small donation it will help to cover the costs incurred for creating the film, hosting a premiere and all remaining proceeds will go towards supporting arts that amplify Black voices.

Thank you from us all.

Donate

It's Official!

Black in Mayberry is now a nonprofit organization with the mission to combat racism through the arts.

Visit BlackInMayberry.org