South Street Seaport Museum Announces Free Film Screening and Discussion Queer History: Notes on a Siren

Join the South Street Seaport Museum and Justice Jamal Jones on February 9, 2024, at 7:30pm at Pier 17 (89 South Street), NYC. The free event will include a screening of their film essay, Notes on a Siren, which intertwines black and African spirituality and offers a thought-provoking narrative on transformation. Jones will introduce the film and La Sirène, a mermaid from Haitian Vodou. Together we will see how through this work, the siren becomes a vessel to explore archetypes of modern Black Queerness and Transness, and a powerful symbol serving as a portal for transformation and transcendence.

Sign up today to hear Jones share the inspiration, research, and discoveries that shaped this groundbreaking 14-minute film. The evening will include a performance in which Jones will present their personification and embodiment of the siren through movement and artistic expression. A Q&A and reception with complimentary beverages will follow.

Content is appropriate for anyone ages 12 and up. Advanced registration is encouraged for this free event but walkups will be accommodated as possible. seaportmuseum.org/siren

About the Speaker

Justice Jamal Jones is a filmmaker, actor, and writer based in New York City. As a Black Queer Alchemist, they integrate Black Feminist Queer theory alongside Black diasporic Spirituality, such as Vodou (Voodoo), into their work. Their debut film How To Raise a Black Boy, purchased by REVOLT, was a reimagining of Jones’ childhood linking their boyhood to their identity as a non-binary artist. The film was internationally recognized at over 30 film festivals, earning 10 awards. Justice was also a 2021 Sundance Ignite Fellow, and in 2022 was a commissioned director for MTV and Calvin Klein. Jones was also a guest on Good Morning America’s Hulu special A Conversation Between Black Men, where Jones was an advocate for Black Trans and Non-binary individuals. In 2023 Jones’ sophomore narrative Crossroads Blues is set for production with Valiant Pictures, alongside the release of A Pill for Promiscuity, an anthology to which Jones contributed, exploring queer sex in the age of pharmaceuticals. Jones enjoys dinner parties with friends, the occasional glass of green Chartreuse, and playing with their kitty Esu.

About the South Street Seaport Museum

The South Street Seaport Museum, located in the heart of the historic seaport district in New York City, preserves and interprets the history of New York as a great port city. Founded in 1967, the Museum houses an extensive collection of works of art and artifacts, a maritime reference library, exhibition galleries and education spaces, working 19th century print shops, and an active fleet of historic vessels that all work to tell the story of “Where New York Begins.” seaportmuseum.org

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