Founded in 1996 by Marcel Diallo, the Black Dot is a nonprofit cultural arts organization committed to community development and cultural sustainability through fostering the living arts such as hip hop, freestyling (or emceeing), independent media, digital media production, filmmaking, dance, visual art, vegetarian cooking and theater.
The Black Dot has been at the vanguard of innovative youth programs and the renaissance of community cultural venues in the Bay Area. The Black Dot Café, established in 1998, provides Bay Area artists, activists, residents, community organizations, children and their families with a space that serves as a resource center, a town hall forum, a classroom, a meeting space, a snack bar and a performance venue.
The youth filmmakers who created "The Classroom," "The Punch" and "Race Matters" are all young people who have been working and participating in the Black Dot's BeatsFlowsVideos Program and the East Side Arts Alliance's Visual Element Program, some for more than a few years. These young people are all talented artists and emerging youth leaders. They are graphic designers, illustrators, graffiti writers, poets, philosophers, rappers, beat makers, videographers, editors, and emcees. The young people are mostly of African-American, Cambodian-American, and Chicano descent.
Olevette plays the teacher in "The Classroom" and is also one of the lead voices in "The Punch." Olevette began her work with the Black Dot in 2002 when she became host of the BeatsFlowsVideos television show. Olvette has had prior experience with television production through Cal State Hayward's Backstage Pass and is also an actress, model, and poet. She is currently a lead member of the spoken word/theater troupe Colored Ink.
Kevin plays one of the lead student characters in "The Classroom" and is also one of the voices in "The Punch." He is a member of the BeatsFlowsVideos audio program and is a talented emcee. An energetic freestyler, Kevin's rap is metaphorical, lyrical, uplifting, and concerned about community self-determination. He is currently enrolled in community college. He is also featured on the first BFV CD compilation.
Keith produced 99% of the beats that you hear playing on "The Punch," "The Classroom" and "Race Matters." He also recorded and produced the theme song for "Race Matters." Keith has been a member of the BeatsFlowsVideos program for about three years. Keith is an emcee, rapper, producer, beat maker and student. He is featured on the first BFV CD compilation and is currently in the studio working on other productions.
DL is one of the voices featured on the "Race Matters" video and is also a longtime members of the BeatsFlowsVideos program. DL is featured and was involved in the writing of the song. A talented emcee and lyricist, DL is currently working on his newest CD. He is also featured on the first BFV CD compilation. DL recorded a segment for the song "Race Matters."
Garrick is a member of Visual Element, a graffiti arts program and was a lead camera operator and editor for "The Classroom." His keen eye and use of technique truly set the tone for most of the edits of the dream sequences in this production. He was also one of the lead voices in "The Punch."
Tun is a member of Visual Element, a graffiti arts program and is a talented illustrator. Tun plays one of the lead student characters in the "The Classroom" and was also one of the lead voices in "The Punch." Tun provided the storyboards (which were amazing) for this particular video. He has also produced a short one-minute trailer about his experiences growing up as a Cambodian in America.
Kong is a member of Visual Element and plays one of the background characters in "The Classroom."
BeatsFlowsVideos "Young Emcees" produced a full length version of this song "Race Matters" featuring other rappers from the BeatsFlowsVideos Program, which will be available on CD soon.
All of the youth and young adults were instrumental in the production and development of these videos. They wrote content, storyboarded, shot footage and edited the videos.
About the Producers
This production was facilitated by BeatsFlowsVideos Co-Director Letitia Ntofon and videographer/editor Tommy Wong (founder of Below Radar). The program proved to be a dynamic, inspiring, heated, and educational experience for everyone involved.
Letitia Ntofon is a member of the Black Dot and is also Co-Director of the BeatsFlowsVideos Program. A young person herself, Letitia has been involved in videography and television production since 1996. She was instrumental in facilitating the pre-production process during the group's workshop sessions and generating dialogues on issues of race. She also provided assistance and guidance in the editing process for story continuity and message clarity. Find out more about the Black Dot and Letitia's independent clothing label Ghetto Flowers at blackdotcafe.com or ghettoflowers.com.
Tommy Wong first began working with the Black Dot/ESAA at the 3rd Annual Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival as a videographer. The founder of the emerging video collective Below Radar (est. 2003), Tommy has many years of experience as a videographer and editor. On this production he facilitated production process for the youth, such as camera operation, lighting and editing, along with his co-members Mel and Suleiman (also of Below Radar). Learn more about Below Radar by calling EastSide Arts Alliance at (510) 533-6629.
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