This movie night features two short films by Southern Foodways Alliance filmmaker Zaire Love that highlight the joy of Black men in the South. SLICE explores how Rico Golden and his homeboys from Memphis submerge themselves in an original swimming artform of athleticism, creativity, and joy called “slicing”—while refusing to drown in a pool of society’s expectations. Road to Step follows a University of Mississippi step team as they vie to defend their title at the annual Black Greek Step Show.

Zaire Love is a filmmaker, music maker, writer, and educator whose mission is to honor, amplify, and immortalize the stories and voices of the Black South. She focuses most of her work in Memphis and Mississippi.

This SouthTalk is cosponsored by the Center for the Study of Southern Culture and the Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement.