IN HONOR OF GEOFFREY FLETCHER

A few days after the Oscar telecast, I discovered an enormity that somehow didn't register at the time. I had somehow overlooked it and I have to admit I am embarrassed by the oversight.

It was in the category of Best Adapted Screenplay, a category I had hoped Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner would claim their potentially sole victory of the night for the magnificent "Up In the Air." While that hope for a win was not to be, I was indeed thrilled when Geoffrey Fletcher, the screenwriter for the adaptation of Precious was awarded the golden statuette instead. It was a deeply deserved win as it provided the structure, the words, the tone and the humanity desperately needed for Director Lee Daniels' vision to work successfully. Fletcher's win was a surprising one as I don't think anyone had even really expected that film to earn any more awards than Mo'Nique's for Best Supporting Actress.

As with so many millions of television viewers, I watched Fletcher arrive at the podium and through waves of excitement and disbelief, he breathlessly (literally) gave a soft-spoken and deeply felt acceptance speech and then, he left the stage.

While the historical victory of the night had been achieved by Kathryn Bigelow for her justified win as Best Director, I had completely overlooked the other and equally historic event of the night, as Geoffrey Fletcher became the very first African-American to win for Screenwriting.


This historic win is significant to me for reasons in addition to the obvious. Fletcher truly represented exactly what composer Michael Giacchino was speaking of during his own acceptance speech when he encouraged so many hopefuls watching to just follow their creative spirits no matter what anyone else may proclaim.

After performing some brief Internet digging, I discovered that Fletcher was born October 4, 1970 in Connecticut to Alphonse Fletcher, Sr. and Bettye R. Fletcher. He is one of three brothers; he attended a series of public and private schools growing up and ultimately attended Harvard University where he obtained psychology. He later attended NYU's celebrated Tisch School of the Arts and received an MFA. He wrote and directed a student film entitled "Magic Marker," which caught the attention of Director John Singleton ("Boyz In The Hood," "Rosewood," "Baby Boy"). And then...

...Hollywood did not come calling.

But, Fletcher persevered while working a series of temporary staff positions as he continued write and direct. He eventually became an adjunct professor of film studies at Columbia University and the Tisch School of the Arts. Eventually Director Lee Daniels viewed "Magic markers," and asked Fletcher to adapt the original novel written by Sapphire.

The rest, as they always say, is history.

The trajectory of Fletcher's life has not been extraordinary in the sense that it is dramatically different than other creative souls hoping to express their art to the world. And it is that aspect of the ordinary that makes Fletcher's historical win that much sweeter to me. While so many talented people in the world may never walk up those particular steps and hold an Oscar statuette to the world, we all have the greater opportunity to become part of the artistic process and add our voices.

I sincerely wish that Fletcher's win can shine light on others, and even African-Americans in particular, the strength to express themselves creatively and to potentially share whatever gifts they may posses to the world around them.

When I was much younger, I definitely entertained my own Oscar dreams and maybe, somewhere in my soul I still do. But, for me, at my current age and for the remainder of my life, I hope, with "Savage Cinema" and my own creative writing pursuits, to remain a part of this overall process.

Congratulations to Geoffrey Fletcher. While I am anxious to see what he may write next, I am even more excited with the fact that he has now opened a new door.

May we all have the opportunity to walk through it.