After a theater internship in New York, Graham felt a calling back home. “I felt (it was) a spiritual mission to bring high-vibing communal experiences to my Black and Brown community here in Dayton. I didn’t really see anyone that was catering things to us, especially those that are rooted in culture, arts, and creativity, but most importantly — community.” Scripted in Black was born.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
THRIVING
“I like to call them experiences. We merge art and media disciplines together. Upcoming, we have a movie series called Reel Culture Films. The movies that we picked are Black culture classics. This is our third year doing this series, and we’re branching out to different locations. Another one we do is Femmedomhood, geared to Black and Brown women to feel alive and seen and thrive and build community amongst each other. That can look like a cocktail or charcuterie-making class or a yoga session. We see what our community needs and fill that need with an enriching experience.”
LET LOVE IN
“I don’t always have a set time when I wake up, but I’m not a morning person. I have to have something comforting that greets me in the morning. I am a tea drinker, or I’ll have my iced chai latte. I have my prayer for the day, I look at something motivational, have a talk with my partner or my mom, best friend, or my sister. I try to have an intentional hour of getting into my day, mentally and emotionally. Allowing love to surround me.”
HARMONY
“And then I get to the emails. I chop through the things. One of the ways that I try to keep my week as organized as possible is assigning certain days to certain aspects of my life. In my early 20s I felt like I was doing everything every day, and it was overwhelming. It’s the quickest way to burn out. I’ve been very aggressive now on ‘Dana, that’s too many tasks. We’re taking this off and we’re taking that off.’ I’m being very real with myself. Getting three out of seven things done can make me feel like a failure, (but) my days don’t have to be defined with being uber busy. Any way that I can find balance and harmony, we’re gonna do that, and not feel bad about it.”
TAKE A BEAT
“After looking at the day, I take a break. I don’t go right into things. That has helped my anxiety — (not) feeling like I always have to be on ‘go.’ That break looks like making food or meeting up with a friend to get food. A few spots downtown that I love meeting friends or family are 1Eleven Flavor House or Coco’s.”
THE DAY JOB
“I wear a lot of different hats. Any given day can be meeting a client or meetings or tours for my fulltime job. I’m a community manager at a co-working and event space here in Dayton called Genuine Work. It’s a very dynamic and collaborative and creative space within the Motor Car Building. I manage the space and members, events that happen there.”
INTENTION
“Currently I’m a freelance consultant where I do work with small-business owners, creatives, arts organizations, to bring certain initiatives to life. There is an amazing podcast led by two beautiful ladies, ‘Tears, Tides, and Transformations.’ KeAnna (Daniels) AKA Ke and Bridget (Flaherty) are evolving this podcast into an annual Women’s Conference. They called me up and asked me to do event management and be their lead creative consultant. That will be happening October 14 here in Dayton and I am very grateful to be on a team geared toward healing, intention and empowerment. Those are the kinds of things that I love to ignite.”
FEEL-GOOD FOOD
“My day is always over later than 5 because I’m very flexible with when I can start. Sometimes it can be over at 7, sometimes I bring work home with me. That’s just the reality of things. Dinner can be tacos or Mexican-inspired dishes. My partner brings me really good quesadillas from Taquitos Uruapan on North Dixie. When I do have more time in the kitchen, I like to look at recipes I find online. I’m not an exotic cook, but I like to make meals that feel good and that are good for you. I’m stepping back in to health and fitness and being more intentional in that journey.”
WATER THERAPY
“Baths are a ritual. Water is calming and soothing for me. I like to have a motivational podcast, a sermon or music playing. Jazz is everything to me when I’m winding down. I love Christian Scott as a modern-day jazz artist, and the oldies like John Coltrane and Dizzie Gillespie. That kind of jazz feels good. To try to beat insomnia, I love to listen to rain sounds.”
SELF-CARE
“Right now, I’m figuring out, ‘what is for Dana?’ Rest has been something that I have been centering more, because there have been so many things going on with Scripted in Black and personal life. I think there’s a season for that, and I think you have to honor that and not always feel you have to be on the scene. You can still support in other ways. Those mental rests, not feeling like you always have to produce something or think of the next greatest idea — that’s the kind of rest I’ve been prioritizing. Intentional care but also harmony with all of the things that I am blessed to have going on in my life.”
THE PARTICULARS
Follow SIB at www.scriptedinblack.com and on Instagram @scriptedinblack for upcoming events, including the Reel Culture Films Summer Movie Series. Upcoming free showings are Disney’s Soul at the downtown Dayton Metro Library on Aug. 19 with social hour at 2 p.m. and the film at 3:30 p.m.; Spike Lee’s Crooklyn on Aug. 27 at @neonmovies with social hour at 2:30 p.m. and the film at 4 p.m.; ATL on Sept. 9 at Flyghtwood Landings @theflyghtacademy with social hour at 7 p.m. and the drive-in movie at 8:30 p.m.
About the Author
