Raising Carlito
Presented by Natasha Miller
Raising Carlito is a documentary that highlights the challenges of imprisoned women of color raising their children. The film follows 10-year-old Carlito as he is being raised in Detroit by his paternal aunt, maternal grandmother, and imprisoned mother.
The documentary takes a deep and personal look at the challenges he and his caregivers navigate both inside and outside of prison walls. Raising Carlito gives voice to the children and families navigating the complex circumstances and relationships stemming from incarceration. The film asks audiences to engage with issues of mass incarceration emotionally, weaving together its narrative from prison phone calls, letters, and a series of interviews with Carlito’s family members, families facing similar circumstances, and experts discussing the effects that prison parenting has on children.
Artist’s Inn Detroit serves as the venue for showing an in-progress cut of the film, followed by an audience discussion about the detrimental impacts of incarceration on the incarcerated and their families. The goal is to shift the narrative of absentee parenting towards a conversation of how collective parenting creates a positive infrastructure for youth development.
Date: December 29, 2019
Partner: Artists Inn Detroit
Map Location: 8640 La Salle Blvd, Detroit, MI 48206
Map Coordinates: 42.37076, -83.10267
About the Artist
Natasha T. Miller is a performance poet, writer, LGBTQ activist, film producer, and founder of Artists’ Inn Detroit, a bed and breakfast for artists. Natasha is a three-time Women of the World Poetry Slam finalist and has been part of four national slam teams. In 2010, she starred in a national Sprite commercial and started her publishing company All I Wanna Say Publishing. Since then, she has published two books, Dreams of a Beginner and Coming Out of Nowhere, a social networking memoir about homosexuality, religion, and cyberbullying. Natasha has been on three national tours and performed at renowned venues across the country. She believes her purpose is to create change and peace like so many great leaders before her.