Independent Lens
Mama Bears
Conservative, Christian beliefs have defined their entire lives, but now they’re championing their LGBTQ+ children. A mama bear's love is ferocious.
Mother Wit
A Black trans family fights to preserve the legacy of their matriarch, Mother LaTravious, who dedicated her life to set them on a path of education, excellence, and liberation.
- Length
- 90 minutes
- Funding Initiative
- Open Call
Producer/Director
Rajvi Desai
A writer and filmmaker from India, Rajvi Desai (they/he) tells impact-driven, community-oriented stories to confront and change existing hegemonies of caste, religion and gender. Rajvi is a fellow with the Sundance Institute, Pulitzer Center, Bitchitra Collective, and Brown Institute of Media Innovation at Columbia University.
Producer/Director
Te Shima Anusha Brennen
As a storyteller, Te Shima Anusha Brennen (they/them) aims to tell nuanced stories of Black trans liberation while pushing the journalism industry to reshape practices around reporting on trans communities. Te holds fellowships with the Pulitzer Center, Brown Institute, Reuters Institute, and is a Cucalorus Works-in-Progress recipient.
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The Film
LaTravious Collins—matriarch, poet, and Black trans advocate—envisions a life of prosperity and excellence for her community. Through her nonprofit, the Brooklyn GHOST (Guiding and Helping Others Survive Transition) Project, she offers a safe space for her chosen daughters amid widespread violence against Black trans women in America.
At 39, Mother LaTravious has surpassed the life expectancy for Black trans women, which LGBTQIA+ organizations estimate to be 33-35. She wants her chosen daughters to focus on education, inherit the wisdom of their ancestors, and join her in the fight for liberation. Her community, however, often ignores or pushes back on her high expectations of them, used to relying on her for support.
The film follows three of Collins’ daughters: Keasha Houston, who, at 39, is navigating a Black trans-led GED class at the GHOST Project, challenging the material with her decades of lived expertise. She is auntie to 22-year-old Qetsiyah Hillaire, who dreams of going to law school and conquering the ballroom world. They are quietly supported by E’Jira Moore, who is on a fast-track degree program for social work, with far-reaching academic ambitions.
Mother LaTravious upholds this community while undergoing dialysis treatments for chronic kidney disease, constantly worried for her legacy.
Set against the backdrop of a rich history of Black trans liberation movements in New York City, Mother Wit is a multi-year chronicle of a Black trans family navigating ambition, memory, grief, and independence.
