Close friends, family members and students came together to discuss the past, present and future of Juanell’s Chair, a screenplay written by the brother and sister duo Davvie and Vivian Mims.
This discussion was part of Hamline’s Social Justice Symposium (SJS), a week-long string of events centered around a common theme. This year’s focus was on honoring the American Indian Movement and Native Activism, and while Juanell’s Chair fell outside of that theme, the event was included in the Symposium to platform Black storytellers and create a conversation focused on Black American history. The symposium is hosted by the Hedgeman Center, an office on campus which creates and maintains a community that supports and upholds student diversity.
This gathering was the fourth time the creators of Juanell’s Chair have visited campus. The most recent trip they made was March 7, 2024 where they performed a read-through of their screenplay. A recording of this event played in Anderson 112 as attendees made their way into the room on April 3.
Kareem Watts, Director of the Hedgeman Center for Student Diversity Initiatives and Programs, began the event, consisting of a flow of questions between the Mims siblings and the audience.
“[The Social Justice Symposium] is really an opportunity for folks to learn, to grow, to engage and really learn what it means to be allies when it comes to allyship for marginalized communities,” Watts said.
This sentiment is shared by the Mims siblings who feel that their screenplay brings a lot to the table. They describe their story with the three E’s: exciting, engaging and entertaining. The creators also emphasized that their screenplay is something new and provides a perspective on African American culture that is not often seen on screen.
“[Those reading Juanell’s Chair] are going to learn different aspects of African American history and culture. They may see some of that out there right now, but not like this story, not the way we’ve presented it,” Davvie Mims said. “This is not just a story about African Americans. We have a lot of narratives that people can relate to.”
Both Vivian and Davvie strongly encourage students to learn more about the world and dive into aspects of humanity that they are not used to.
“Immerse yourself in different things, get out of [your] comfort zone. The world is scary, but it’s not dangerous. Pay attention to your surroundings. You won’t grow on the World Wide Web like you will in person,” Vivian Mims said.
Davvie added on to Vivian’s statement by emphasizing that they are not bringing this work to other local universities and that he believes more students should take advantage of their unique opportunity to discover the screenplay.
“Wake up and smell the coffee. Wake up and check out Juanell’s Chair at ricerootsllc.com. Stop sleeping on us, we’ve been here four times, we’re tired of being ignored … We want the people that are here right now to know we’re here,” Davvie Mims said.
Valentine Cadieux, Director of the Center for Justice and Law, is the link between the Mims siblings and Hamline. Vivian and Valentine became friends volunteering for the Urban Farm & Garden Alliance, a collaboration of local gardens that provides food and education to the community. Upon learning about Juanell’s Chair, Valentine asked the Mims siblings to do a reading of their screenplay at Hamline, and they’ve continued doing events at the university as the connection remains strong.
“I think we’re going to continue to grow with Hamline … We got a foothold. There seems to be some synergy here between us. We would like to expand more with the student body,” Davvie Mims said.
With 42 episodes written and a great deal of passion, the Mims have a lot to look forward to. Visit ricerootsllc.com to learn more and keep up with their work.