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04/26/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 04/26/2024 13:28

Student Documentary Explores the Legacy of Charcoal, a Magazine by and about Students of Color

Student Documentary Explores the Legacy of Charcoal, a Magazine by and about Students of Color

Film about now-defunct BU publication screens tonight at the Howard Thurman Center

A still from The Story of Charcoal. Photo courtesy of Christine An

Film & TV

Student Documentary Explores the Legacy of Charcoal, a Magazine by and about Students of Color

Film about now-defunct BU publication screens tonight at the Howard Thurman Center

April 26, 2024
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When Charcoal magazine first published in 2018, it was something of a trailblazer on the Boston University campus. The fashion and arts publication was produced entirely by students of color, with the goal of showcasing underrepresented creatives at a predominantly white institution (PWI).

It didn't take long for the magazine to gain a reputation on campus. Over the course of 10 striking issues and countless artistic endeavors, Charcoal fostered and celebrated creative talent across BU: young photographers, videographers, illustrators, models, writers, stylists, hair and makeup artists, performers, and graphic designers of color had the chance to see their work published in print and across Charcoal's channels. But equally as important as the exposure-and in some ways, even more important-was the safe, supportive community the organization created for these young artists of color.

Charcoal ultimately shuttered at the end of the spring 2023 semester for a variety of reasons, including widespread burnout among staff. But its legacy lives on in The Story of Charcoal, a documentary created by Charcoal videographers Christine An (CGS'22, COM'24, Pardee'24) and Melanie Menkiti (COM'24).

The poster for documentary The Story of Charcoal. Photo courtesy of Christine An

The film looks back at the history of the magazine and the people who created it, capturing the publication's beauty, the fatigue staff experienced, and, more than anything, the pride its collaborators take in what they built together.

"Even though Charcoal was pretty well-known on campus, a lot of people don't really know the history behind it," says Menkiti, one of the film's producers. "This documentary keeps it in the record: no matter how many years go by, you can still look back and see what a force it was for the BU community."

The Story of Charcoal is currently screening on the local festival circuit (it recently won "Best Documentary" at the Lowell Film Festival for Future Filmmakers). And tonight at 7 pm, members of the BU community can see it for free when it screens at the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground. (Find more information and register here.)

BU Today recently spoke with An and Menkiti about their film and what they hope viewers take away from it.

Q&A

with Christine An & Melanie Menkiti

BU Today:Speaking as the documentary's director, what story, exactly, does it tell about Charcoal?

Christine An: It starts out with a highlight of the 10th issue, called "Return." That issue touches on the entirety of Charcoal history: every shoot references a theme from past issues. But then it also delves into how Charcoal started-the founders' intentions, how it gained so much popularity throughout the years-before diving into the struggles collaborators faced, like imposter syndrome and the pressure that comes with being a student of color at a PWI. It also explores the idea of escapism. Charcoal was a safe haven for POC artists, but the question is, were they using it to escape or avoid the real world? People became very reliant on it as a safe space-but the real world doesn't always offer those. So we're also raising the question of: was that sustainable? Was that healthy?

BU Today:What was so special to you about Charcoal?

Melanie Menkiti: Going to a PWI and being in a major like film-even though it has been a really amazing experience, it just doesn't have a lot of POC-Charcoal gave me a space to be around other POC artists and to create things in a safe environment. A lot of what I learned I got to take back into my film classes. It was nice to learn things in that safe environment-as a Black woman in film, it can feel like you're not allowed to make mistakes or not be perfect 24/7 when in whiter spaces like a class. Charcoal let me be more open in terms of my lack of experience, and also let me grow a lot.

BU Today:What are some of your favorite moments from the film?

An: For me, it's the reveal of the cover photo for "Return." It was the cover model's first semester being a model. In the documentary, he talks about his struggles with his identity as a Filipino man and how through Charcoal he was really able to embrace his identity. We caught the moment when the cover was revealed to him-and he had a really emotional reaction. We also caught the photographer's reaction, with her saying how validating it was to see her work picked. The combination of that is a really sweet moment, and it makes me feel really proud of the work that people did.

Menkiti: There's a part of the documentary that features a photo shoot called "Ebb and Flow" that's one of my favorite shoots of all time, just because of how creatively it all came together and how amazing the photos look. Filming that shoot [as a videographer] was just a great experience: the shots were so beautiful, and I really felt like I peaked in terms of my videography skills at that time. Incorporating that into the documentary was really cool, because it let me reflect on my memories of how hard we all worked on that shoot.

BU Today:What do you hope viewers take away from watching the film?

An: The importance of curating safe spaces, and also the understanding that curating safe spaces takes a conscious effort. On its own, "creating safe spaces" sounds ideal. But it comes with a lot of sacrifice and effort to maintain them-and whose responsibility is that? At the end of the day it needs to be a collective effort, so you don't end up giving too much of yourself and burning yourself out.

Menkiti: If you're someone who wants to create something, don't be afraid to start out on your own. You never know how big it might become. Charcoal should be an inspiration: you can create anything you want to. There are no limits.

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  • Alene Bouranova

    Writer/Editor Twitter Profile

    Alene Bouranova is a Pacific Northwest native and a BU alum (COM'16). After earning a BS in journalism, she spent four years at Boston magazine writing, copyediting, and managing production for all publications. These days, she covers campus happenings, current events, and more for BU Today. Fun fact: she's still using her Terrier card from 2013. When she's not writing about campus, she's trying to lose her Terrier card so BU will give her a new one. She lives in Cambridge with her plants. Profile

    Alene Bouranova can be reached at [email protected]

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