The Root; Published By: Shanelle Genai
Last week, we told you about Hulu’s plan to release its forthcoming documentary centered around the highly popular (and widely criticized, but more on that later) the 80s-90s festival, Freaknik.
While an official trailer for Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told has yet to be released, the streamer says that the upcoming project “recounts the rise and fall of a small Atlanta HBCU picnic that exploded into an influential street party and spotlighted ATL as a major cultural stage. Can the magic of Freaknik be brought back 40 years later?” Sounds straightforward and unintimidating enough, right?
Well, it’s unfortunately now proving to be intimidating for some who experienced Freaknik during its heyday—namely Black women—because they’re worried that their arguably reckless actions from back in the day will be broadcasted for the entire world to see. And if that is the case, they’re also worried about what the implications and consequences will look like as a result of it (because misogyny is an unfair judge). In fact, in addition to numerous tweets and even TikTok videos of some Black women speaking out about their nervousness for the upcoming doc, a handful of prominent Black women professionals are even considering taking legal action against Hulu.
According to NewsOne, three C-suite executives and one judge are reportedly planning to file a lawsuit in Atlanta’s federal court on the grounds that the doc is “unlawful” because they didn’t sign any media releases. Though no official court documents have been seen, the fact that these women are willing to go so far out of fear that the footage could potentially be so detrimental to the life they’ve built now all these years later is telling. Read more
