Livingstone College

‘Living Single’ star directed film, ‘The Big Payback’ Ben and Jerry’s to serve up special flavor of ice cream for event  SALISBURY – Erika Alexander, who played attorney Maxine Shaw on the hit TV show, “Living Single,” will be on the campus of Livingstone College on March 20 to debate national reparations. Alexander co-directed her first film, “The Big Payback,” a documentary that follows Alderman Robin Rue Simmons and her pursuit to pass the first government-funded reparations program in Evanston, Ill. Meanwhile, U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee faces a 30-year uphill battle to pass HR40, a national bill to study reparations and make recommendations. Both women are met with racism and historical resistance, as well as assistance from allies and abolitionists within. Alexander and Whitney Dow, co-founders of Color Farm Media, are the team behind the documentary and are partnering with historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to hold a series of National Reparations Debates, inspired by the 1965 James Baldwin-William Buckley debate. The first phase of the initiative incorporates 10 HBCUs in North Carolina with Livingstone College being the second occurrence. The program will be held from 6-8 p.m. in the Tubman Little Theater, located on the campus at 701 W. Monroe St., Salisbury. “Students will use spoken word and rap battles to debate for and/or against reparations,” said Nailah McDowell, LC Connect Coordinator and sociology instructor at Livingstone College. In preparation for the Monday program, the documentary will be shown twice this week on campus. The film debuted …