Alfreda’s Cinema Presents Barbara O.: Leading Lady of the Rebellion

Leading lady of the L.A. Rebellion Barbara O. Jones, born in North Carolina, peacefully became an ancestor in April of this year in Dayton, OH, at the age of 82. She leaves behind three children, grand, and great-grandchildren—along with one of the most respected film careers of any independent Black American film star. Powerfully magnificent, Barbara O was an icon. 

Highly spirited and determined, Jones is monumental in Julie Dash’s Daughters of the Dust, Haile Gerima’s Bush Mama, and Robert L. Goodwin’s Black Chariot, among many other films and shorts now reshaping generations around the world. In celebration, Alfreda’s Cinema pays respect to the muse with a retrospective of short films featuring Jones: Child of Resistance (1973), Diary of an African Nun (1977), Back Inside Herself (1984), and The Johnson Girls (1995).

Her strong respect for the healing arts and ancient mysteries taught her to follow her intuition, a quality she instilled in her offspring. For decades, Barbara O. baffled many with her extended periods of silence, but for her it was "my favorite spiritual practice, a beautiful way to hear life.” She practiced holistic healing, DJed on the radio as “The Black Fox,” and produced films. Still, she remains a mystery to the world outside, and as fierce a film star as she was, her roles were few. 

We honor her not in the work that should have been, but in the legacy that is. Barbara O portrayed Black women in the most powerful roles to grace the silver screen: as warrior, sacred, vulnerable, flawed, authentic, and humane. No one else comes close to canonizing Black women in this way, and for sharing her gifts with us, we give thanks. 

Alfreda’s Cinema’s monthly residency at BAM continues this October with “Barbara O.: Leading Lady of the Rebellion,” followed by a conversation with culture writer and editor Niela Orr.

Films include:
Child of Resistance (1973) dir. Haile Gerima
Diary of an African Nun (1977) dir. Julie Dash
The Johnson Girls (1995) dir. Iverson White 
Back Inside Herself (1984) dir. S. Pearl Sharp