In my Black History Month blog series, I’ve focused on visual artists and writers of literature. Today I’m doing something a little different: I’m spotlighting a writer working in film. Let’s talk about:

Matthew A. Cherry

My family discovered Matthew A. Cherry and the short film “Hair Love” back when it was a Kickstarter project. Artist Vashti Harrison illustrated it, while Cherry wrote and co-directed it. They were raising funds to complete the film, and after watching the film, we happily contributed to its financing. Cherry initially asked the internet for $75,000; he received more than $300,000. Some of the reasons I love this work are the same as Cherry’s motivations to create it:

• It shows a positive depiction of Black fathers

• It’s honest about (the challenge and) the beauty of Black hair

As you can see in the video title, “Hair Love” won the 2020 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. It’s also been turned into a children’s book. According to Wikipedia, Cherry is now working on a 12-episode animated series for HBO Max called Young Love; it’s scheduled to premiere sometime in 2023.

Tomorrow, I’ll introduce you to a writer with pop culture as well as literary cred. See you soon.