Dreams Deferred: The Sakia Gunn Film Project

On May 11, 2003, a 15-year-old African-American girl named Sakia Gunn was fatally stabbed at a bus stop in Newark, NJ. Her death was not the result of racial or gender violence, but rather a gay hate crime—Gunn was a lesbian who bravely rebuffed homophobic taunts and slurs delivered by the two men who eventually killed her. Unlike the 1998 Matthew Shepard case, in which a young gay white male was murdered in a hate crime in Wyoming, the death of Gunn barely received any national media coverage. Directed by Charles B. Brack, this compelling documentary raises tough questions about a biased media that ignores hate crimes against African-Americans, while also examining the circumstances surrounding Gunn's tragic death, the lost promise of her young life (she was a straight-A student and a promising basketball player), and the difficulties facing inner city youth who choose to be openly and unapologetically homosexual. Dreams Deferred also illustrates how it took someone's death for Newark's municipal leaders to finally recognize the city's gay community and acknowledge the disturbing level of gay hate crimes taking place there. A fine asset for collections with an interest in LGBT issues, media studies, and race relations, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)