100 Women We Love 2014

From professors, to musicians, to activists, we present to you 2014’s 100 Women We Love.

Yoruba Richen

What does the African-American community really think about the struggle over gay rights? This was the question Yoruba Richen sought to answer in her latest film, The New Black, a documentary that garnered awards from AFI Docs, Philly Q Fest and the Frameline LGBT Film Festival. The New Black profiles community members with differing opinions about the issue and chronicles the struggle for marriage equality in Maryland. Richen, a former associate producer for ABC News, previously directed Promised Land, about communities battling over land ownership in South Africa, and Sisters of the Good Death, which highlights an annual festival marking the end of slavery. Her passion for documentaries comes from a natural curiosity about the world we live in. ″Documentary film challenges me both artistically and intellectually, and allows me to probe deep to discover why and how things happen,″ she says. ″I love uncovering information and stories that give new insight into communities and events that we often don´t hear about, and shining a light on the vital issues of our time.″ Currently, she is influencing the next generation of documentary filmmakers as a program director at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. -GH


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