In an effort to contribute to togetherness through greater familiarity, Andrew Colom is embarking on a series of video interviews of people from Columbus who have moved to various corners of the world. Each piece is paired with a video interview, which can be found on cdispatch.com and YouTube.
Paquita Hughes found her dream of a purposeful life growing up and watching movies in Applewood Apartments, an affordable housing development just off Yorkville Road.
I most remember from our conversation the way she flexed her forearms, showing muscles toned with military precision. Having never served in the military myself, I admire a certain dignity military veterans, and active-duty members carry, and that dignified strength radiates from Paquita. She has the strength of a survivor; both abroad and at home.
Born in Puerto Rico and taught English in New Jersey, she was accused of “talking white” when she first moved to her father’s hometown of Columbus in 1988 for kindergarten. She later came to understand she discombobulated expectations, that they “did not expect someone so black, to speak so properly.”
Those years sound hard. She mentions difficulties at home and disruptions in her childhood. She survived being uprooted by the state and moved to a children’s home in West Point; friends in Columbus thinking she had disappeared.
Paquita joined the Army prior to 9/11, but crossed over to the Navy after 9/11 and became the third generation of her family to serve in that branch of the military. She served overseas in Italy and later became the first sailor in her family to serve on a war vessel. The ensuing experiences left scars. She mentions learning she had invisible wounds, but they never deterred her from her dream. She positioned herself to be stationed in San Diego, where she was honorably discharged after serving 10 years to attend film school.
I first became aware of her passion for filmmaking from a 2009 Facebook announcement that she was moving to Los Angeles to start a film company.
Paquita and I met at Hunt Middle School in shared honor’s classes. There were tiers to the academic classes within our public school system back then, different in quality and as segregated as the system during de jure segregation. The entire student body was overwhelmingly Black, the honor’s classes majority white, such a clear remnant of the legally enforced racial segregation caste system that had only just officially ended.
During school, our paths continued to intersect indirectly through clubs including working together on student body council our senior year. Back in 2001, Columbus had selectively segregated awards and honorariums. For example, there was a Black homecoming queen and a White homecoming queen, a White most likely to succeed and a Black most likely to succeed. Our student body council had an impassioned debate at our annual retreat where Paquita spoke powerfully about ending it. The majority voted to stop this practice but our advisor overruled our vote and the practice remained.
The practice has since ended — something Paquita learned when interviewing people for a documentary she is producing about this uncomfortable part of our shared history. That’s right, today, a little more than 10 years later, Paquita’s career has flourished. She is the founder of Rock Violet Motion, a production company that has already made several successful short films, including the award-winning film, JACKS. After our interview, she started production on her latest short film, JEREMY, which stars another native of Columbus, who grew up with Paquita in the Applewood apartments. She has also worked as a union location scout on many successful Hollywood productions, including the Emmy award-winning television series, “Little Fires Everywhere.”
But Paquita has even bigger plans. She wants to use filmmaking to bring economic opportunity to Mississippi. The same place she often dreamed of escaping as a child calls for her return, to lift while she climbs. She is already doing this, assisting her childhood friend and producing partner, Chris Burr, with his move to LA to work as a sound department trainee on large film productions.
Towards the end of our conversation, I wonder with awe where she got all this strength and purpose that were so evidently on display. She tells me part of it comes from facing motherhood alone, requiring her, like so many women, to be a multi-tasker, ultimately increasing her productivity. Her daughter, Penelope, makes a couple wonderful appearances in the interview; yet Paquita remains focused throughout the video, mothering her daughter with patience, love, and clarity. As a military veteran, executive producer, writer, and builder of pathways, she represents the tenacity our country needs to move forward together. Her stories not only entertain but have messages that inspire our better angels. Her determination has created success for herself and opportunities for others to pursue their aspirations not only through her but with her.
Years after she transitioned away from that war ship, it doesn’t seem like she’s anywhere close to done with the heavy lifting.
Andrew Colom is a Columbus native now living in Detroit, Michigan.
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