Wave Staff Report
LOS ANGELES — The Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP and Spirit Awakening Foundation join forces for the first time at 7 p.m. June 26 to host a special screening of the independent film “Spirit Awakening” for NAACP Youth Council members at the SAG Foundation’s Meryl Streep Performing Arts Center – Tom Hanks & Rita Wilson Screening Room, 5757 Wilshire Blvd.
“The NAACP has always stood for truth in storytelling,” said Mike Asfall, president of the Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP. “‘Spirit Awakening’ continues that legacy by centering Black experiences of healing that we don’t often see in film. We’re proud to partner with Spirit Awakening to bring this important conversation to Beverly Hills and Hollywood.”
“This film is more than entertainment — it’s a mirror and a medicine,” said Akuyoe Graham, writer/director and founder/CEO of Spirit Awakening. “I created “Spirit Awakening” to show our stories of grief, healing and transformation on screen with depth and dignity. I’m honored to share it with the community alongside NAACP, an organization that has fought for our narratives for over a century.”
“The Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP is committed to stories that reflect our community’s full experience,” Asfall said. “‘Spirit Awakening’ opens space for dialogue about mental wellness and cultural heritage, and that’s work we’re proud to support. This is NAACP and Spirit Awakening Foundation leaders investing in kids before they ever see a courtroom. That’s public safety — teens, mentors, and a story that says ‘you matter’ before the system tells them they don’t.”
“‘Spirit Awakening’ was born from my own journey through grief and healing,” Graham said. “I made this film so others would know they’re not alone in that process. We don’t just want audiences to watch ‘Spirit Awakening.’ We want them to feel awakened themselves — to their history, their power, and their capacity to heal. Partnering with the NAACP means we can reach the people who need this message. That’s why this partnership matters.”
The screening creates space to discuss “what freedom looks like for Gen Z” and how storytelling, mentorship and mental wellness intersect with public safety and civil rights,” said Graham, who is a presenter at the upcoming NAACP Theater Awards. “Juneteenth was about bodies being freed. This screening is about minds being freed — through story.”
“Spirit Awakening” is a raw, one-woman stage-to-film adaptation written, directed, produced and performed by Graham. The film traces Graham’s transformative journey toward self-awareness, healing, and inner peace. Today, Graham runs arts programs in juvenile halls and uses her story to interrupt cycles of incarceration.
Statistics show that Los Angeles County still incarcerates more than 400 youth on any given day.
“We don’t wait for kids to get out,” Graham said. “We meet them inside with curriculum, compassion and consistency. ‘Spirit Awakening’ is a prevention story with receipts.”
“This is NAACP and Spirit Awakening Foundation leaders investing in kids before they ever see a courtroom,” Asfall said. “That’s public safety — teens, mentors, and a story that says ‘you matter’ before the system tells them they don’t.”
