Ms. Harris joined Dalton seniors and High School History teacher Yom Fox in their class, Stage and Screen: Race, Gender, and Representation. This class offers students an introduction to the study of film, musicals, and theater as reflections of societal norms and values. Throughout the semester, students examine film and tv shows that focus on topics related to race, gender, sexuality, and class in order to develop visual literacy and critical thinking skills as related to visual media.

 

"The goal of Stage and Screen is to look at representation, and in order to do so, I want students to see all parts of the industry. It's not only the actors, producers, and directors," said Fox. "I think that having them think holistically about entertainment/pop culture is key."

 

Prior to her role at the New York Times, Harris was a culture writer for Slate where she also developed the film and TV podcast, Represent. She often uses her TV and film critiques as a bridge to discuss larger social commentaries, whether that be the role of womanhood in A Star is Born, black exploitation in Django Unchained, or the ubiquity of love and family as portrayed in Pixar's Coco.

During her visit, Harris spoke about a myriad of subjects ranging from her own personal career journey to the importance of seeking out diverse perspectives in order to develop your own viewpoint. 

 

After the visit, Sarah Baker '19 commented, "She spoke with so much knowledge and an interesting take on a lot of films and shows that I had never thought of before. I asked a question about the role that stereotypes play in the life of a Black student, especially in predominantly white institutions, and how we should react to media that perpetuate these stereotypes. She offered insight on how as a media consumer we should learn to understand the harm that these stereotypes can cause to a community, but then essentially look past it (in a sense), otherwise, we wouldn't be able to watch anything. Overall, I wish that we had more than 45 minutes with her because I had so much more that I wanted to ask her as she had a unique perspective as a Black woman working on the New York Times. She was an absolutely amazing writer and speaker!"

 

"From Django to Gone With The Wind to Crazy Rich Asians she approaches films with a refreshingly critical lens," said Jamie Gelman '19. "In doing so, Harris uses film to connect the past to the present, whether that be in terms of race, gender, or ability. Listening to her speak today was a great way to kick-off the semester, and I plan on using her articles as a guide for the class's upcoming film discussions and analyses."

 

Dalton would like to thank Ms. Harris for taking the time to speak with our community and for her continued work shedding light on these important topics.