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BY DENNIS ALLEN
DENNIS: What is your name?
ANGELA: I'M Angela Wildflower.
D: How can we find you on social media?
A: You can find me on the gram @iflower. On Facebook, umm Angela Wildflower.
D: What does storytelling mean to you?
A: Storytelling? Ah, You know what I have always been fascinated with the Griots. How people had passed on stories before we could write, you know...it was a tradition. That was how we passed on our history. I always been fascinated with that and I am like uber creative so like uh...the, the period of the Harlem Renaissance and like the way that uh, we can use storytelling to like...to elevate, elevate and educate you know and I just think its like... it's a powerful art form. It's a creative way to um, keep stories going and it's interesting cause you know when your passing on stories through just voice it, it get's interpreted. You know what I mean when your passing it on its not always word for word so it's interesting to see how like stories evolve so like I'm big on storytelling and...in, in anything I do like in my music or um, when I'm working I just think everybody deserves a voice and there's so many stories to be told. Um, so I'm always honored when I get to like tell the story that's different then my own.
D: So that leads into what stories do you wanna give life to?
A: You know what I think we do not get to see enough of the quirky black girl. Like I think it's really interesting because I work um, I do alot of broadway stuff. I work in that capacity and I think that there are a lot of roles that I am right for that normally go to like um... to a... just in our minds um... other ethnicities groups. You know white people are this way but you know it's just really an interesting time to let us expand and become more then what we been like traditionally given. Cause we all have the cousins and the people that we know that are like that but we don't always see their stories or hear them. So people don't know that.. Oh there are black girls that do that? Or, that are funny... or, that are spunky. You know what I mean? We always, they always want us to tell the stories about our struggle and about our...and I mean, I'm moving ahead but even as the New Black as we speak of I do think we've evolved. Our parents went to college. Our parents have masters degrees. Their parents didn't. Do you know what I'm saying? So like we are evolving to a new place and I think it's important to continue to shine light on the direction that we are heading.
D: Now let's talk about your monologue. Why is it important to you?
A: You know what, it was really interesting because you know the concept of, um... we do it everyday of having to fit in to this box right. So corporate America see's a box. Hollywood see's a box. This industry see's a box and they force us to fit ourselves into it. So when she keeps speaking of the itching ass wig i'm like ...I feel you! You know what I mean? This, this constant need to assimilate to be accepted to assimilate to be seen and I don't know that all of us would naturally do it if it weren't if it didn't feel so obligatory to even be apart of the conversation do you know what I mean? Um, so I found it interesting for her to just unapologetically acknowledge that like um, what she says.."My conformity is not.." you know..that's, thats, not the the end of me You know don't look at that as something to look down on, like that's how were making it and this ain't nothing new we've been making it this way by the mask we wear. So anyway I just thought it was poignant and it was done in a more modern way. The "New Black" way. Cause, we know the black woman now that are, um running corporations, that are head of ya know CEO's and um I can only imagine what those rooms are like for them when they sit down and your running the meeting and they mad. You know what I mean so it was right on time and I think it makes all of us look at our selves and not be so hard on ourselves by some of the choices that we just kinda been forced to make over time.
