November 2015 ~ Issue 2
Crystal Roman, a native New Yorker of Puerto Rican
descent, launched
the Black Latina Movement in 2008.
descent, launched
the Black Latina Movement in 2008.
She began performing BLM’s first written theatrical piece: a one woman show about the lives of dark-skinned Latinas and African American Latinas entitled, Black Latina.
Ms. Roman produced and directed Memoirs of a Black Latina, which premiered in the Texas Black Film Festival, the International Women’s film Festival in California, and screened at the 4th Annual African American Conference in Harlem. The film was also screened at the 2010 Dominican Independence Day event. Memoirs of a Black Latina was screened at the 2011 Pan-African Women’s Action Summit and aired on Minnesota’s Comcast channels for Hispanic Heritage Month.
Ms. Roman produced and directed Memoirs of a Black Latina, which premiered in the Texas Black Film Festival, the International Women’s film Festival in California, and screened at the 4th Annual African American Conference in Harlem. The film was also screened at the 2010 Dominican Independence Day event. Memoirs of a Black Latina was screened at the 2011 Pan-African Women’s Action Summit and aired on Minnesota’s Comcast channels for Hispanic Heritage Month.
In 2010 Ms. Roman began crafting her first off-Broadway production: an all-Black Latino/African American production entitled, The Colors of Love. In 2011 she expanded on The Colors of Love franchise and co-wrote 5 episodes for season one of its television series. In 2013 The Colors of Love was an official selection of both the October Film Festival and the 12th Urban Mediamakers Film Festival.
Ms. Roman has also expanded her philanthropy work, appearing as a plenary guest speaker at the 2011 Minneapolis Pan-African Women’s Action Summit. Ms. Roman was a panelist at the 2012 Black Latino Consortium at Morgan State University in Baltimore Maryland (where Memoirs of a Black Latina was also featured). Most recently in 2013 Ms. Roman was featured at speaking engagements for Latino Authors and Writers and at Byrn Mawr College Reshaping Representation: Afrolatinas Creating Positive Media.