Jenifer Lewis is set to star in a filmed dramatic reading of the best-selling memoir, All Boys Aren’t Blue, by George M. Johnson.
Released in April 2020, All Boys Aren’t Blue quickly became a bestseller. Following Johnson’s own experiences, All Boys Aren’t Blue is a “series of personal essays” that “covers topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy.”
Read More: Gabrielle Union to adapt ‘All Boys Aren’t Blue’ memoir for TV
Now, in honor of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, there will be a staged and filmed reading of three chapters from the memoir, as part of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s BLACC/NBHAAD programming.
Chapter 1, “Smile,” covers the incident that led to GMJ learning how to smile again after an incident led to having his teeth knocked out.
Chapter 7, “Nanny: The Caregiver, the Hustler, My Best Friend,” taps into his close relationship with his grandmother.
Chapter 14, “Caught in a Haze,” chronicles GMJ’s journey exploring his masculinity while pledging Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
The reading stars Jenifer Lewis, Dyllón Burnside, Bernard David Jones, and Thomas Hobson. The project will premiere on Monday, February 8, 2021.
Per the director’s statement, the goal of the project is “to move out the fear that creates stigma and replace it with love through these amazing performances, the virtual celebration of our uniqueness & art as well as the frank and sobering discussion that needs to be had.”
The statement continues, “The divide between the Black community and its queer brothers & sisters is at the root of many of our issues and is an impediment to our fight against HIV/AIDS AND stigma.”
All Boys Aren’t Blue is also set to be adapted for television from Gabrielle Union’s production company, I’ll Have Another.
Praising Johnson’s memoir, Union said, “What I love about this book is that it not only offers a space for queer kids of color to be seen and heard but it also offers those who see themselves outside of that standpoint to be held accountable and help them better understand what it takes to truly have acceptance with someone who is considered other.”
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