ATLANTA, GEORGIA - FEBRUARY 23: Mario Van Peebles attends "Outlaw Posse" Screening at The Gathering Spot on February 23, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
We recently had to speak with writer, actor, and director Mario Van Peebles. His new movie, “Outlaw Posse” has just hit theatres.
“Outlaw Posse” takes place in 1908, and Mario plays Chief. His character returns after years of hiding in Mexico to retrieve gold that is hidden in the Montana mountains.
Where It All Began
Our conversation started with Mario talking about his dad. Melvin Van Peebles was a trailblazing director who is credited for paving the way for other black producers and directors with his work.
Mario said, “My dad made his film ‘Sweet Sweetback’s Badass Song’ in 1971. He had a secretary who had a boyfriend, who had a band called Earth, Wind and Fire who came on to do the music. The movie wound up changing the whole game, from there the golden age of soul cinema or Blaxploitation was born.” Mario spent time on the set as a kid which taught him how to write, direct, and produce.
Then we moved into a chat about “Outlaw Posse.” Mario believes, even if people can say the world can be divided, “we’ll all come together and watch a western if you make it with love for everybody.”
Check out the interview here:
Mario pointed out, “All of us who we play, part of the fun is that it’s not fictional, it’s not revisionist. It’s actually more accurate. Dr. King said, ‘We all must learn to live together as brothers and sisters, or perish together as fools.’ I love being a cowboy, I’m a boy at heart. I love showing it off and playing with it, and if you can make a little ‘edutainment’ while you do it, more power to you”
Outlaw Posse Cast
Mario said, “I cast people who are really good,” and the cast is phenomenal. It stars Mario alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Cedric the Entertainer, Edward James Olmos, Neil McDonough, and Mario’s son Mandela Van Peebles.
Mario loved working with his son. He had worked with him before, but not to this degree. He wanted to show a father/son relationship that’s real. They “didn’t have to fake the love or fake the drama, they had to reshape it for the movie.”
“There was a scene in “Outlaw Posse” with me and my son Mandela up on a stagecoach with Whoopi Goldberg, she brought a lot to it. Every actor, every character, at every turn, there’s someone who is so overqualified to play the role. You can just feel the authenticity of it, it’s gritty, it’s mean, and it’s not a glamorized Hollywood flick at all. It’s rough, it’s got a lot of adventure, a lot of laughs.”
Beyond Black History Month: Ways To Celebrate Black History All Year
Black History Month is a time to honor and celebrate Black excellence. A time to shift focus to the Black heroes and pioneers who have shaped history. It highlights the importance of being an ally to marginalized communities. Having a monthlong celebration of Black history is great, but it’s important to honor and recognize Black history all year long. Here are some ways to do that.
Celebrating Black History Beyond February
Also known as African American History Month, this event originated from “Negro History Week,” created by historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has designated February as Black History Month. The History Channel reports that other countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also dedicate a month to celebrate Black history.
In 1976, former President Gerald Ford expanded Negro History Week to a full month. He expressed the need for the nation to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
The history of Black History Month dates back to 1915, fifty years after the abolition of slavery in the United States through the Thirteenth Amendment.
In September of that year, Woodson and prominent minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). This organization focused on researching and promoting the achievements of Black Americans and others of African descent.
Now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), the group initiated a national Negro History Week in 1926, selecting the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. This event inspired schools and communities nationwide to organize local celebrations, establish history clubs, and host performances and lectures.
Black History Month allows us to question what we’ve learned, dig deeper, and discover overlooked events from the past.
Check out some ways you can celebrate Black history all year long.
Visit Museums And Exhibits Focused On Black History
Consider a visit to the National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, D.C. As part of the Smithsonian, it houses collections and exhibits that will both move and inspire you, featuring art and artifacts spanning our nation’s history. Check out Baltimore’s National Great Blacks in Wax Museum for life-size wax figures of historical figures like Harriet Tubman and Billie Holiday. For a more interactive experience, head to Detroit’s Motown Museum. In Studio A, you can sing along and explore exhibits and memorabilia celebrating the influential history of Motown, including artists like Marvin Gaye, the Four Tops, the Supremes, the Jackson 5, and Stevie Wonder.
Explore true events through films like Loving and Hidden Figures. Loving is a praised drama depicting the Supreme Court case that made interracial marriage illegal until 1967. It follows the real-life story of Richard and Mildred Loving, sentenced to a year in jail for marrying. Hidden Figures tells the tales of three Black women scientists at NASA during the Civil Rights era. Movies inspired by moments in Black history can help you gain insights into these crucial moments in Black history through these movies.
Read Black History Inspired Books
Read Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad set in the 1800s American South, following an escaped slave’s journey north on a literal underground railroad. If you want to read something with a more artsy feel, check out Ron Wimberly’sBlack History in Its Own Words which features pop art portraits of Black artists with impactful quotes. Also, explore The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story, expanding on the New York Times project, with essays exploring the legacy of slavery in the present day.
Supporting a Black-owned business is an excellent means to provide direct financial support to the Black community in your community. Moreover, you might discover a new favorite restaurant or shopping spot in the process! If you’re a book enthusiast, explore Black-owned bookstores and get books by Black authors. This not only exposes you to companies promoting diversity but also contributes to increased representation, visibility, and economic development.
How about diving into documentaries about Black history? There’s plenty available, many directed by Black filmmakers and centered on entertainers, political figures, and activists. Check out Good Hair, a unique Chris Rock production by Jeff Stilson, focusing on the historical perspectives of Black women about their hair. Another moving documentary is I Am Not Your Negro, narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, inspired by James Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript, “Remember This House,” containing notes and letters from the mid-1970s.
Joel Katz is the Morning Show Personality, Assistant Program Director, Podcast Host, Voiceover artist, audio producer, and Digital Content Writer for Magic 98.3. Joel has been working in New Jersey radio since college and started at Magic in 2002 as the Morning Show Host, “I can’t think of another place where I’d fit more perfectly; it’s just a great company with awesome people.” Joel is married to Kathleen, his elementary school sweetheart (they were each other’s first dates at age 9), shares a birthday with his oldest son, Ty, and has twins, Kiera and Liam. Joel runs at least 3.1 miles every day and enjoys playing basketball, doing laundry, saving his turn signal for when he really needs it, kissing dogs through a fence, using coasters, making that cool noise by rubbing his fingers on balloons, and chasing after ping pong balls on a windy cruise ship.
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