Juliette Jeffers, writer/performer of “Judgment Day” on black people, the police, and God
“Does God have something against black people and what do we do about that?
“The idea for “Judgment Day” came to me a few years ago when Philando Castile and Alton Sterling were murdered by different policemen within the same week.
“It angered me, it made me sad, and it made me ask, ‘OK, why does this keep happening? I don’t see it changing and it doesn’t look good.”
“For those of us who believe in a higher being or the Universe, that question was my motivation.
“After George Floyd, what shifted was awareness. Black people have known that this has been happening in our communities all along. Others might not have. George Floyd’s murder really put it in everybody’s faces during a pandemic that forced us to be still. Then we were forced to pay attention.
“With this piece, I want to spark conversation and awareness just as George Floyd’s murder did.
“Does God really have something against black people? I don’t personally believe that, by the way. It was the thought that sparked this whole piece.
“Other minorities can say the same thing. You could ask, “Does God have something against women?” There are all these inequities. I want people to see another perspective and to simply be aware as they move through their lives.”
On being a woman —
“If I were to be reincarnated, I wouldn’t change! To be a woman means tapping into our power, which means using our voices. The #MeToo movement was a great example of stepping into our power by using our voices.
“As women, we’re nurturing, insightful, and healing, and we give birth! As female artists, we give birth to our creations – art, dance, music, or solo shows.
“I’m someone who is constantly going, going, going, creating one thing then moving on to the next. But what a lot of people don’t know is I’ve been in some kind of physical pain on a daily basis for the last 25 years.
“I have an autoimmune disease. But I don’t lead with that or let it stop me from creating or expressing myself. Sometimes it comes out in my art.
“In my work in the film/TV industry, I’ve always wondered, ‘Oh my God, are they going to find out?’
“I’m ready to let that go.”
To read more about Juliette click here.