Discussion Guide | The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel
Many folks have written to me to say that they are still processing one of the premier movie events of 2020: The Clark Sisters, First Ladies of Gospel. There are so many questions left lingering around what it means to appreciate Black church culture, song, and sacred music performance, while navigating the sexism, intergenerational trauma, and wounding that happens in Black church spaces. To that end, I have compiled the statuses, interview & archival footage links, and discussion questions that helped us to process during Wednesday Night Study (on Patreon) so that you can launch these discussions in your own spaces. Feel free to use this as an educational tool and be sure to cite properly if there are any direct questions that you are pulling from. Enjoy!
Discussion Guide
On April 11, 2020, LifeTime premiered The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel, a film that “recounts the story of the highest-selling female gospel group in history and their trailblazing mother, Mattie Moss Clark”. These sisters “overcame humble beginnings in Detroit, enduring abuse, loss, rejection, betrayal, and sibling rivalries to achieve international fame as icons of the Gospel music industry.” The film was an event unto itself & Black (former, ex, & current) churchfolk across denominations gathered on Twitter all GAGGED over the cinematics, the acting (Aunjanae Ellis KILT that role), the COGIC FASHIONS, and the discography… of COURSE. However, the film showed a lot of complex and triggering realities of what it means to grow up in this specific context. It did not shy away from themes of patriarchal suppression, purity & “holiness” culture, and domestic abuse. It was a glamourously heavy film and we needed a space to process & debrief.
I structure Wednesday Night Study under the Black feminist & indigenous understandings that learning is a collaborative & cyclical process. This really allows for a full learning and processing experience. Below you will find a few questions that we considered in conversation together with special guest & cultural worker, Hakim Pitts. If there are questions that require a bit of digging, there are interview links and archival footage below for your convenience.
What / whose lens is this story being told from? (It might help to look up who the movie stakeholders were e.g. directors, producers, executive producers, etc. It might also help to look at which sisters had direct consultation with the director.
Who benefits from the overall narrative of the film? Who doesn’t benefit & why?
“What is this film asking of us? Both personally & collectively?” What things do we need to go back & reclaim & collect? What are the gifts that were developed in spaces that we had to leave in order to keep ourselves emotionally whole? What does it take to remember that these healing gifts belong to us, aren’t attached to that space alone, & can be enacted for our healing?
What role did “survival logic” play in the ways the Clark Sisters moved through their lives? (cited to Indhira Udofia)
What role does “holiness or hell” play in the developing brain of a child growing up in this context? (To learn more about theological literalism and its impact on the developing brain, check out Teresa Mateus’ work in “Sacred Wounds: A Path to Healing from Spiritual Trauma”)
What was the context in which Dr. Mattie Moss Clark grew up? How did this impact her practices of child-rearing? How might this have impacted her thoughts around the Western medical industrial complex & receiving healthcare?
In what ways were self-harming behaviors reinforced by religious / spiritual bypassing?
How might we understand “sacrifice” in healthier ways?
Are we coding “scapegoating” under more spiritual terms?
What scenes were cut from the Lifetime airing of the movie? What context have the sisters been offering in their respective interviews? How does this context impact our viewing of the film?
What breathing & self-holding techniques can we utilize to continue regulating our nervous systems during these conversations? (We always have a practice component so this was the focus for practicing together)
Interviews
Interview between the Clark Sisters & Director, Christine Swanson to help you learn more about how the movie was made
Kierra Sheard in conversation with Tamar Braxton, discussing family dynamics with Denise Clark Bradford
The Clark Sisters interview & song-association with Terrell Live
Context: This is high-key a great introduction to the discography of the Clarks Sisters for folks who don’t know their music well. They discuss their hopes & dreams for the film in Pt. 2 of the interview
Part One
Part TwoDenise Clark-Bradford in conversation with Larry Reid Live
Context: These interviews occurred before The Clark Sisters movie aired. In Pt. 2 of the four-part interview series, Denise offers that she did those interviews “because people feel like she just faded away / went off the map” and that was not her desire. I want to be clear that I think Larry Reid is incredibly messy, given the context of his other work & interviews. However, I found a lot of what Denise said to be helpful in unpacking the movie. Original air dates for this series are February - April 2019.
Archival Footage
Archival footage of Dr. Mattie Moss Clark discussing the training of her daughters, with particular emphasis on Twinkie Clark
Archival footage of The Clark Sisters’ 1983 Grammy Performance with Dr. Mattie Moss Clark
(this is rendered in the film as the reason why the COGIC elders banned her from singing with her daughters)Archival clip of Denise Clark Bradford at the funeral of Dr. Mattie Moss Clark
Context: This clip introduces pictures, audio, and video imagery from a small portion of her speech at the funeral. This is not the entirety of her speech.Archival video of The Clark Sisters singing “Is My Living in Vain”; all five sisters are featured in the clip
Panels & Learning Opportunities
Is My Living In Vain: The Musical and Social Legacy of The Clark Sisters
Aunjanue Ellis, Donald Lawrence, Imani E. Wilson, Ashon T. Crawley, Danyelle Thomas and Bishop Yvette A. Flunder