Respect My Crown: The Rise of African American Women in California Politics is a feature length documentary film, which explores the significant contributions of African American women in leadership in the areas of politics, labor, and community activism in the State of California.  Although California is currently known for being a liberal state that has not always been its history. 

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Our documentary explores the rise of Black women in California politics and the road they paved to achieve success. Our story unfolds to show the obstacles, the challenges, the ambition and aspirations of the women achievers over the decades to our current day leadership envisioned through the lives of living and deceased Black female elected officials, their counterparts in Labor organizations and in the “Mothers” of the Community who are on parallel journeys. The film highlights their courage, sacrifices, and achievements for the betterment of their communities, cities and throughout the state of California as a whole.

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Immersed in the films timeline is the backdrop of the existential circumstances of the day. Each decade in the last sixty years has had its own set of challenges, wars, poverty, racial uprisings, presenting each bill, each vote, each march, each decision with its own set of residual fallout which could affect the communities they represent for years to come. California has sent more women of color to the House and Senate than any other state.  Respect My Crown intends to show the role of intersectionality in politics and public service in the state of California. The film serves an an archival project of the  Mervyn M. Dymally African American Political and Economic Institute (MDAAPEI), a non-partisan public policy center, and serves as a study of Black Women in politics for the California Black Women's Collective Empowerment Institute,  a 501C3 non-profit organization, which focuses on improving the lives of Black Women and Girls throughout the state. Both Think Tanks are housed on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills. 

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The 85 minute film includes interviews from 34 remarkable women who are leaders in their fields.