The Brothers’ Quarterly Presents
Wattstax
A Film by Mel Stuart
Wattstax, released in 1973, is much more than a concert film. Along with selected performances from the seven hour July 4, 1972 concert by artists from the Stax label at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the film features commentary from Black citizens of Los Angeles about what had and had not changed since the 1965 Watts Uprising, and the state of Black people at the time. Familiar and unfamiliar faces and voices populate the film, both on stage and in the community, culminating in a performance by Isaac Hayes long before he became a voice actor on South Park. Wattstax offers an important historical record of a post-Civil Rights moment when Black communities were popularly considering more radical paths to Black Liberation, and folks who are now mainstream political operatives could lead a sold-out L.A. Coliseum in a chant of “Nation Time!”
Friday, June 7, 2019
AFIBA Center
Doors Open at 6:30 PM; program begins at 7:00 PM
Free: donations accepted
5730 Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles
Off-street parking available
Brothers' Quarterly 