Today’s episode comes from the Windy City, one of the many cities rocked by the COVID-19 outbreak and police reform protests. The Black community suffered the most harm in Chicago, from the virus and protest crackdowns. Aisha Allan is one of those Chicagoans. Aisha is a writer/Editor in Chief of the mag Reel Mamas. She is also a filmmaker, a mentor, a mom, and a military wife. Aisha had the stress of daily life to deal with on top of the pandemic woes. Stopping to cope with any emotions at the time meant crashing in a way that this creator refused to consider.

 That busy life became a way for Aisha to channel her rage at the injustices she personally experienced and witnessed happening to those around her. To keep it from slowing her down, Aisha applied her craft to help process everything. Did I mention that she gave birth while shooting a short film before the vaccine was available? Amazons are real folks. 

Join us as we discuss a creator coping with rage and frustration by leaning into her craft. The result is a short film on YouTube about another mother’s son still suffering due to racial injustice. She also has the cutest baby boy who sometimes tries to help mama tell her the truth. You may hear him and more on Creators in Covid Episode 4: Crafting Emotions into Activism.

Aisha Allen is a filmmaker, writer, and Founder of Reel Mamas Chicago. She graduated from Fisk University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dramatics and Speech and completed her MFA in Cinema Directing at Columbia College Chicago. She has written and directed several short films which include her award-winning short film Bump)ED (2014).

 In May of 2018, she started Reel Mamas Chicago, LLC a Digital Media Company/ Online Magazine dedicated to empowering and inspiring women filmmakers. The online magazine features the latest interviews, film reviews, articles, and essays about women working behind the camera. RMC has covered film festivals around the country including the Chicago International Film Festival, SXSW, and Sundance.

Aisha recently graduated from Kartemquin Films and Community Film Workshop’s Diverse Voices in Documentary Fellowship where she worked on developing her first feature documentary “The Cost of Time.” Aisha was recently awarded the Studio IX’s Mother Project grant and the Sundance Press Inclusion Initiative Stipend.

You can find more about Aisha and her work by looking up @reelmamaschicago on social media.