In Los Angeles in the early 2000’s (I’m talking 2002, 2003 when J Lo released her Glo perfume) and long before social media could tell you where to go out, Shakedown was a famously hot party for the Black lesbian community. Even after LAPD shut down Shakedown in 2004, we came out and supported Leilah Weinraub to finish a documentary on the scene and carve out a piece of history.

Southwest of Salem tells the story of four Latina lesbians who were found guilty of a crime they didn’t commit and how the legal and criminal justice systems failed them as queer women of color. Watch it tonight on Investigation Discovery at 8 pm EST.

“Dear White People is not a how-to guide on ways to avoid performing acts of microaggressions, or why it’s bad to appropriate black people’s culture. Instead, it’s an examination of the importance of support systems, the difficulty of being an outsider, and how one uses identity as a tool of protection.”

“I remember holding my breath during pivotal scenes in the movie. I wondered nervously if my brother saw then the direct parallels to his own sister’s life.”