This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
One night, when Ashli J. Washington was a senior in college, Atlanta’s towering skyline appeared in her dream, and she took it as a sign. Soon after receiving her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Hampton University — a historic Black institution of higher learning in Hampton, Virginia — she packed up and moved to the city of her dreams, where she has spent the last 15 years. Her latest project, the documentary “Relatable,” is a love letter to Atlanta, her adopted hometown, as well as a reflection on what it means to be a Black millennial woman.
Washington credits her experience at Hampton as being instrumental to building her confidence — first as a journalist and social content creator and later as a filmmaker. “You really get a chance to not have to worry about some of the things that you would have to worry about in the outside world,” she says. “It was a great training ground. I learned about confidence and being proud of the things and the values that are important to me.”
Washington reentered the Black collegiate environment in 2016 when she started managing social media for Spelman College, Atlanta’s all-female Black college. She describes her time at Spelman as especially transformative, since she was telling the stories of other young Black women like herself and seeing the fruits of the college’s artistic community around the city.
While her time at Spelman did help inspire “Relatable,” the project started more with Washington’s own experience as a 36-year-old Black woman without a spouse or children. She admits that, throughout her 20s, she envied her friends who took the more “traditional” route of settling down and building families. But now, she wouldn’t change her life for a second.
Being single and child-free has allowed her to pursue the arts more readily, and she’s noticed single Black women becoming accepted — even praised — across social media. “We have the ‘rich auntie’ and ‘soft life,’ and all these things that are now being celebrated,” she says. “So [with “Relatable”], I wanted to continue that and put it together in a more formal way [where] people could see themselves reflected, through the women’s stories that are highlighted.”
Credit: Photo by Ashli J. Washington
Credit: Photo by Ashli J. Washington
“Relatable” explores how young Black women are challenging and transcending the societal norms of previous generations. The film tells the stories of seven women from Atlanta, including Washington herself. While each story is unique, Washington says it was nice to see the similarities they all shared throughout the filmmaking process.
A handful of subjects had, like Washington, attended Black colleges and universities, while several others lost their mothers at a young age and had to reckon with this loss throughout their careers. “There are so many layers to us as people,” Washington says. “If you just do a little bit of excavation, just a little bit of work, you’ll find that there’s something relatable.”
As Washington conducted pre-interviews and then later got to know her subjects on camera, these commonalities became the beating heart of “Relatable’s” message. “We’re very different and nuanced, but there’s so much that we can connect to if we just ask a couple questions,” she says. “There’s something there that’ll help you know that you’re not alone — in your experiences and triumphs but also in some of the things that are unfortunate or sad.”
Credit: Paris Lovette
Credit: Paris Lovette
“Relatable” premiered at the Switchyards Neighborhood Work Club’s downtown location on June 26. Washington funded the project with a grant from Arts and Entertainment Atlanta and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, which specified that her project must have an “activation” element in the downtown area. Having lived downtown for 15 years — her entire time in Atlanta — Washington found that this requirement added another layer of meaning to the project; it allowed her to showcase the ways the neighborhood has evolved over the last two decades.
After the film’s premiere, audience members approached Washington with personal stories, expressing how much the film moved them and inspired them to pursue their own creative projects. “When the film ended, I asked the audience, ‘If you found something relatable in the film, raise your hand,’ and every single person raised their hand,” Washington says.
Seeing how audience members responded to “Relatable” changed Washington’s mindset about marketing and exhibiting the film.
“Initially, my goal was like, ‘OK, let’s get into film festivals. Let’s network, let’s do this, let’s do that.’ But now, the goal is to get it seen by as many women and as many Black boys as possible,” she says.
Washington has already reached out to staff at Spelman and other Black colleges about screening the film and hopes to receive further distribution through grassroots fundraising and word of mouth. “The reception was so great that now the people who’ve seen it can be ambassadors,” she says.
While she’s been promoting the film for the last six months, there’s still work to be done. For the rest of the year, Washington plans to focus on getting the film into peoples’ living rooms. (Meanwhile, there are no screenings currently scheduled,)
“‘Relatable’ celebrates these big themes of freedom and joy and taking care of oneself but also touches on loss and grief,” she says. “It’s just a really powerful and important piece of work that I think all women need to see.”
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Holyn Thigpen is an arts writer who has been featured in cultural and literary publications such as BUST, the Ringer, Talon Review and Bright Lights Film Journal. She holds a master’s in English from Trinity College Dublin and spends her free time reading true crime books and traveling solo.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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