Black Harvest Film Festival 2024: Black Table

Attending the Black Harvest Film Festival feels like a rite of passage—a celebration of Black storytelling that captures the spirit and resilience of our community. But as a Black man, it offers something even more profound: an opportunity to escape, reflect, and find solace in shared experiences. This year’s lineup was no exception, showcasing a powerful range of films that explore identity, resilience, and joy in the face of adversity. Among them, “Black Table” stood out as a transformative viewing experience that I won’t soon forget. 

In the wake of political unrest and a sense of hopelessness in the United States, John Antonio James and Bill Mack’s documentary “Black Table” is exactly the film I needed. It chronicles the journey of several Black Yale alumni as they reunite for their 25th college reunion, reflecting on their time at the prestigious university and finding solace in one another, one meal at a time, around a shared dining table.

“Black Table” is more than a snapshot of these students’ experiences—it resonates as a universal narrative for Black people across the diaspora. It captures the shared struggle of existing in predominantly white spaces, where being “othered” and excluded for how you look is a deeply painful and isolating reality. Yet, the documentary also illustrates that community is the key to resilience. Through solidarity, Black people not only survive but thrive in environments that often seem inhospitable.

Unfortunately, the challenges faced by Black communities remain consistent across generations. Yet, this is also a profoundly hopeful story. Despite the hardships these alumni encountered on campus, they created joy and kinship among themselves, symbolized by their chosen table in the dining hall. Their laughter and camaraderie were acts of quiet rebellion, and this film is a testament to the power of that resistance.

In a time when affirmative action was abolished in 2023 and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives are being rolled back, “Black Table” feels especially evocative. It reminds us, as Kendrick Lamar aptly put it, that “we gon’ be alright.”