In the midst of a leafy residential area of Leimert Park sits an
amalgam of business and ideas.
The Lucy Florence Coffeehouse opened its doors in 1996 but has
since become much more than just a place to eat. Though it features
most famously a gourmet coffeehouse and a sandwich shop, Lucy
Florence has become a center of black culture, housing a theater
and a media screening room where, every Sunday at 2 p.m.,
interested community members come together to watch and discuss
black films.
The gathering, known as Sundays @ the Movies, is the brainchild
of Rhonda Kuykendall-Jabari, the independent business owner of Warm
Spirit self-care and wellness beauty products, who has her office
in Lucy Florence. She screens a film for free every Sunday in the
cafe where people can watch the movie, discuss it among themselves
and enjoy some coffee and cake in the process.
This Sunday, viewers can catch a screening of the
made-for-television movie “Their Eyes Were Watching
God,” starring Halle Berry and Michael Ealy.
“It’s a twofold purpose. I was there every Sunday,
and I realized that there was no real event where people could come
and just relax and enjoy each other, other than the open
coffeehouse setting. And a lot of times it’s because we
don’t know what to say to each other. But if you share
something in common like having watched a movie, then you’re
more likely to open up,” Kuykendall-Jabari said.
“So it’s really about creating a homey space for
people to come and commune and unwind at the end of a very long
week, which most of us are having,” she said.
The series began in September and has since screened
excitement-packed mainstream films such as “Something
New,” “Catwoman” and “Asunder,” as
well as thought-provoking independent films such as
“Eve’s Bayou,” “Sankofa,” “For
Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is
Enuf” and “Tsotsi.”
“A lot of them are independent films, so it gives you a
lot of things to think about,” said Ron Harris, co-owner of
Lucy Florence.
“People that come into Lucy Florence are either here to
study, or they’re with friends and do not want to go and
fight the crowds at your major theaters. Most of the movies are
Afro-American movies, and a lot of people have a tendency to forget
about things unless they are up in your face and remind you of the
struggle we’ve all had to come through,” Harris
said.
Although the films are geared toward a mature audience ““
the ages of the viewers range from 20 to 60 years old ““
several of the movies evoke socio-political ideas consistent with
issues college-aged audiences already ponder and explore.
“Tsotsi,” a film shown recently, outlines the
violence of young South African gang members. It was a huge success
at the coffeehouse and inspired many engaging discussions.
“”˜Tsotsi’ was something for which I really
wish we had a young male audience,” said Kuykendall-Jabari.
“If there was a population missing, that would be it ““
young men.”
Though discussions were formally helmed by a leader at first,
they are now simply thoughtful conversations.
“It’s now very informal,” Kuykendall-Jabari
said. “It’s not a guided discussion. This is just food
for thought. It’s for people to come in and chat with people
around you, like you would at a movie theater. It’s really no
different from being at home with your friends in your living
room.”
And not only has Sundays @ the Movies inspired conversation, but
a sense of cultural pride and community as well.
“(The event) has attracted new customers, people that
either did not know about Lucy Florence or have never been to
Leimert Park,” said Harris. “It’s a safe haven.
The people can just walk from their homes, which we’re
surrounded by, and just break away for a while.”