BDO: Can you touch on your elevator pitch and how it felt knowing that you made it to the top five finalists?
KR: It was important to let the judges know how much of a connection I had to the research that the New York Botanical Garden was doing with plant sciences. In my pitch I highlighted how important medicinal plants were to my family and the country where most of them were raised. I wanted to project the idea of how influential Caribbean traditions were. All throughout my (young) life I noticed how big of a gap there was in education when it came to doctors and health– especially concerning my mom.
My mom died of breast cancer in 2012. Throughout her treatments she took plant research and the medical properties of plants very seriously. Along with the prescription drugs she took during chemotherapy, she was self-medicating with natural plants – brewing teas in the morning, eating specific fruits and vegetables based on how she felt that day, and garnishing her foods with spices only found in Caribbean grocery stores. When pitching my idea of telling a story through the voices of young, Caribbean medical students, I was thinking of my mom. When I heard that I was chosen as a finalist I was stunned but ready and filled to the brim with excitement. I needed to get this story out there. I needed to let the world know what the New York Botanical Garden was doing for folks who felt underrepresented in the medical field.
BDO: What is it that you want your work to say about the organization you’re working with? About you?
KR: I want my work to highlight the progress that the New York Botanical Garden and the Cigna Foundation are making in these communities – communities that I grew up in and communities that sometimes go unnoticed in the medical field. I want my work to let people know that New York City, our home, and the Cigna Foundation, are taking strides to make healthcare a fundamental part of our lives.
Considering the political climate around healthcare these days, I wanted these messages to come across clear and strong. My work was more about the voices in my community and the doctors who are our allies and who fight for equal healthcare regardless of a person’s background. I wanted people to know that while our voices are being heard we need to keep shouting. It is such an amazing honor to have worked with the Cigna Foundation – a foundation focused on helping underrepresented communities all throughout our city. I’m so happy that I made this story.
BDO: Being the only female to make it as a finalist in the Ghetto Film School contest, how did that inspire or affect you?
KR: I had so much love and support from the folks at Ghetto Film School’s Roster community. The Roster is such a dope program and I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to tell my story without them. They have helped young filmmakers, like myself, step foot into an industry that’s hard to break into, especially if you don’t have the right kind of support behind you.
It’s interesting because when I heard I was a finalist, my first thought was that I would be able to show women from all walks of life that they too can have these types of opportunities. I wanted to inspire more women to engage in their community and create spaces for creativity and passion. It was a monumental experience for me to be a female and one of the finalists. It definitely put some fire under my seat for sure.
BDO: Who or what inspires you and your passion to be an artist?
KR: I am a storyteller – a storyteller who couldn’t decide who or what inspired her most. I get a lot of inspiration from books, music, movies, TV shows, podcasts and photography. Lately, I’ve been reading James Baldwin and studying the photography of Carrie Mae Weems while re-visiting the works of Langston Hughes. Reading about the life of Claudia Jones, a British Caribbean woman who fought for the rights of people of color, has been exceptionally inspiring.
To check out Romiel’s film, as well as the other finalists, click here.