In our new weekly feature 12 Rounds, leaders will answer 12 questions — some light, some heavy — from our Publisher and CEO Henry Sanders to help the community understand them, what they do, and why. Today: filmmaker and Discover Wisconsin host Marie Justice.
Along with husband Johnny, Marie Justice is co-founder and co-owner of Justice Media, a firm that specializes in documentaries, photography, and branding, with a focus on using their creativity to help drive social change in the community and beyond. Their most recent project is the My Americana docuseries. She has also been a cohost of the television show Discover Wisconsin since 2016.
What advice would you give someone who is a person of color not from Wisconsin who is thinking about moving to Madison? Please come, but more importantly please stay—and help push this city to open its beauty and opportunity to all of its residents. Madison is a unique place with so much potential. Its landscape is already aesthetically pleasing and there’s plenty of acAviAes to enjoy, in both nature and entertainment. Furthermore it’s an entrepreneur’s playground. Unfortunately people of color are not exactly thriving here. We’re not the home owners, or successful business owners—and we’re oIen not out enjoying the leisure and classic Madison acAviAes. But we could be, and should be—so don’t be deterred, stay and help create a new landscape in Madison, one that is culturally rich, diverse and where people of color flourish.
Name 3 songs that accurately reflect how you’re feeling.
This is America—Childish Gambino
Redemption Song—-Bob Marley
Spirit—Beyonce
If you could go back in time to any point of life to tell yourself something, what age would you go back to and what would you tell yourself? Ah, this is tough to choose. I’d probably go back to 19 and try to tell myself to trust the process and my intuition, and to understand that all things ripen and mature in their own time—don’t rush things, enjoy the journey and everything in between. Took me a while to figure this out and it would have saved me a lot of worry in my early 20’s.
What did you learn about yourself in 2020? I realized I was incredibly unforgiving and critical of myself. So I learned to be much nicer to me…self-care suddenly took on a whole new meaning.
At this point of your life do you feel you have found your purpose? If so, how did you figure out your purpose? Yes, I think I have found my purpose (for now)—which came with being open to change, taking risks— and following what I was passionate about. I’m definitely pursuing things that I love, and it feels like I’m on the right path. However, life’s a journey—and it can be a fairly long one (if we’re lucky)—so I’m always listening closely and trying to decipher what the Universe is telling me, I’m always open to what may be next for me. To be honest I don’t think it’s exactly up to us, we each have giIs that are meant to be shared—when, where and how is what we have to continuously figure out.
There is a lot of division around the issues of race in politics. What can we do to lessen those divisions? What can we do right now as individuals? Listen. Be open, and understand that everyone has a story and an experience and it’s valid, regardless if it is right or wrong, it’s definitely valid—and so are their feelings —again, that doesn’t necessarily make them “right,” but I digress. Look, I’m an incredibly analytical person, and I’m learning to be even more self-aware as I get older which helps me be more aware of my lens that I’m viewing things through. I think if we stay interested and curious about connecting with one another, it’d go a long way in bridging gaps. When you know someone’s story, and connect with them on a human level it’s difficult to not start caring and be open to new ideas and perspectives.
Pie: Pumpkin or sweet potato? Easy: sweet potato pie all day, everyday.
You and your husband created a documentary series named My Americana. What inspired you to create the documentary? Honestly it was the pandemic and the social uprising we were collectively experiencing as a society. We were seeing people on social media having these conversations surrounding race and other social topics that had been pushed to the forefront, and so many well meaning people were struggling to digest hundreds of years worth of information. As filmmakers we had this “aha moment.” The American life looked so different to each of us, so as artists we wanted to create a way to help individuals share their lived experiences with one another to gain understanding.
What have you learned about the state of Wisconsin in your role as co-host at Discover Wisconsin? Probably that Wisconsin is really beautiful. There’s so much to see and do right here in our backyard; from islands to amazing rivers and lakes — festivals and destination spots, this state has so much to offer.
Name your top three go-to movies or tv shows you watch when you want to laugh.
Life
Bridesmaids
Meet the Parents
When you heard the verdict from the Derek Chauvin trial, what was your first reaction? Relief. Second reaction: but we’re not there yet.
If you could choose anything for a date night, what would it entail? My two favorite things: a good movie and and good food. Normally I’d settle for streaming a movie at home and ordering take out, but since we’ve been on lock down for more than a year—I want the real deal: going out to the actual movie theater and siting down and eating at a nice restaurant. Man, I can’t wait until this is all over!
